Cooper Flagg received his first ‘Welcome to the NBA’ moment.
And it wasn’t when the Dallas Mavericks used the No. 1 overall pick on a former Duke star who could add $1 billion in franchise value.
On a night when NBA commissioner Adam Silver was loudly booed, Flagg was by far the biggest star inside the Barclays Center in Brooklyn.
Kids screamed his name from the stands, while TV cameras hovered around his table for more than a minute after ‘The Pick Is In’ took over large screens inside the arena.
The Mavs had 1.8 percent odds in the draft lottery to land Flagg, who was tagged as a top selection for years.
With Dallas trading franchise face Luka Doncic to LeBron James‘ Los Angeles Lakers in February, some fans continue to insist that Silver orchestrated a trade that eventually helped the Lakers and Mavericks.
Doncic gave the Lakers a superstar to eventually replace James in Los Angeles.
Then a super-lucky lottery helped the Mavs quiet an angry fanbase, replacing Doncic in Dallas with the 18-year-old Flagg.
There’s no proof of anything linking the Doncic trade with the No. 1 pick — and the Mavs made it clear they were frustrated with Doncic when he was dealt.
But the first question that Flagg received during his post-draft press conference was about a conspiracy theory that won’t go away.
“Cooper, on behalf of all the internet conspiracy theorists who couldn’t be here tonight, I have to ask,” a reporter said.
“There are tons of rumors floating around that the NBA gave Dallas the pick to get you in exchange for Luka Doncic.
Fans still can’t believe that Luka Doncic became LeBron James’ teammate GettyKyrie Irving once had to apologize for a conspiracy theory[/caption]View Tweet: twitter.com/talkSPORT?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
“Do you have any reaction to that?”
Flagg appeared caught off guard by the question, then gradually smiled as he gave his answer.
“No,” Flagg said. “I don’t know what to say about that.
“I have no insider information, if that’s what you’re looking for. I just feel blessed for the way it all worked out.”
Flagg is joining a playoff-ready Mavs team featuring Anthony Davis, Klay Thompson, and Kyrie Irving.
Irving, who also starred at Duke and was a No. 1 pick, infamously embraced a conspiracy theory early in his NBA career.
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He asserted that the Earth is flat, not round.
“I’m sorry,” Irving later said, during his time with the Boston Celtics.
“To all the science teachers, everybody coming up to me like, `You know I’ve got to reteach my whole curriculum?’ I’m sorry. I apologize.”
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