Bobby Burack: The Anti-White Resistance Is Already Beginning for Cooper Flagg

Dallas Mavericks forward Cooper Flagg is 19 years old and already one of the best basketball players in the world.

Last week, ESPN analyst Jeremy Lin called him “generational” and said he and Victor Wembanyama could become the NBA’s next great rivalry.

Flagg has also drawn favorable comparisons to LeBron James at the same age, including from Brian Windhorst.

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Cooper Flagg is White. For some members of the basketball community, that is a problem. Former NBA player Charlie Villanueva is one of them.

Villanueva discussed Flagg’s rising stardom on the “To The Baha” podcast last week. According to Villanueva, Flagg cannot become the face of the NBA because of his skin color.

“This might sound crazy, but I don’t think in 2026 a White dude could be, I’m gonna be real, could be the face of the league, if I’m being honest,” Villanueva said. “Because it’s a Black league, right?”

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“When is the last time we’ve seen a White man be the face of the league? Don’t say Larry Bird, they had to pair him up with Magic,” Villanueva said. “When was the last time a White man was single-handedly the best player in the league?”

That talking point was predictable. OutKick predicted it days after Flagg became the first overall pick out of Duke last season.

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The hysteria surrounding Caitlin Clark began with the claim that her popularity and stardom resulted from “White privilege.” Black players have called Luka Doncic a “bitch ass white boy” on the court. ESPN analyst Kendrick Perkins falsely accused NBA MVP voters of favoring Nikola Jokic because he is white, likely costing him the award in 2023.

More recently, Stephen A. Smith claimed a team could not win a championship built around white players. Former broadcaster Mark Jones has posted several bigoted messages about Jokic. Gilbert Arenas has joked about exiling white players from the league.

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