The Big Lead

NBA fans troll ESPN after they mistook two young stars for Cooper Flagg

An ESPN commentator thought Ace Bailey and Dylan Harper were both Cooper Flagg, and fans on social media are mocking them ruthlessly for it.

By Divij Kulkarni

Jeremiah Fears, Cooper Flagg, and Dylan Harper stand on stage before the 2025 NBA Draft.
Jeremiah Fears, Cooper Flagg, and Dylan Harper stand on stage before the 2025 NBA Draft. / Brad Penner-Imagn Images
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The 2025 NBA Draft is touted as one of the more exciting classes in recent years, but there was no doubt about who would be picked No.1 overall. As teams tanked during the 2024-25 season, fans were calling the race to get the first overall pick, 'Capture The Flagg.'

As expected, the Dallas Mavericks selected Cooper Flagg first in the draft. Dylan Harper went to the San Antonio Spurs, while the Philadelphia 76ers got VJ Edgecombe. Ace Bailey went 5th overall to the Utah Jazz. And while we can tell the difference between these stars, ESPN had some trouble with it.

RELATED: Dallas Mavericks fans chanted 'Fire Nico' right before they picked Cooper Flagg

During the network's coverage of the NBA Draft, the SportsCenter announcer confidently mistook both Bailey and Harper, claiming fans were looking at Flagg. This isn't the sort of thing that goes unpunished by fans on social media.

"Cooper got a massive tan," one fan hilariously joked. "Cooper looks different without the Duke uniform on," another hilariously said.

"There was a heatwave back east, don't be soooooo sure that's not Cooper," a third fan said, continuing the bit.

"ESPN continues circling the drain," a fourth fan scathingly said. "Can these people at ESPN ever get anything right these days?" complained another.

RELATED: Ace Bailey remains confident in 2025 NBA Draft status despite team's concerns

"Your flagship network that both covers the draft and your most important games for the next decade, NBA. I hope you're happy you settled for this," a sixth fan said.

Getting this wrong seems like quite the miss on ESPN's part. Flagg was the main man on the night, while Harper and Bailey were prominent picks in their own right. This moment is going to lead to even more trolling for ESPN, something they're getting used to in recent times.

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