ESPN Makes Cooper Flagg Mistake During NBA Draft originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
The 2025 NBA Draft has finally arrived, and former Duke Blue Devils forward Cooper Flagg was nearly a guaranteed lock for the No. 1 pick.
After a rough stretch to end the 2024-25 NBA season, including the losses of Luka Doncic (trade) and Kyrie Irving (torn ACL), the Dallas Mavericks finally saw their luck change. With a 1.8% chance to win the No. 1 pick in the NBA draft lottery, the Mavericks found themselves in a position to take Flagg.
On Wednesday, Flagg walked the NBA draft red carpet in a navy blue blazer. During an episode of ESPN’s “SportsCenter,” the broadcast cut to a shot of a prospect’s shoes, introducing the player as Cooper Flagg.
However, as the camera panned upward, it became clear the player was not Flagg, but former Rutgers star Ace Bailey — a mistake that left the show’s host a bit thrown off as well.
“Welcome back to SportsCenter,” the host said. “You’re looking at Cooper Flagg, and in just over an hour from now… That is not Cooper Flagg at all, actually. That is quite famously Ace Bailey.”
The camera then cut to another player, prompting the host to respond, “There’s Cooper Flagg! I was gonna say. Nope, that’s not him either. That’s not Cooper Flagg either.”
As it turns out, ESPN made the same mistake twice – this time showing Bailey’s Rutgers teammate, Dylan Harper, instead of Flagg.
“Welcome back to SportsCenter. You’re looking at Cooper Flagg…That is not Cooper Flagg at all, actually.” 🤣🤣
(h/t @awfulannouncing)
— Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) June 25, 2025
Flagg will likely be joining a star-studded Dallas roster featuring All-Stars such as Anthony Davis, Kyrie Irving and Klay Thompson. However, he may have a larger role than expected early in the season, with Irving still recovering from injury.
Harper, meanwhile, became the favorite to go No. 2 overall to the San Antonio Spurs. Bailey, though his draft stock slipped slightly, remained a projected top-10 pick.
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This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 25, 2025, where it first appeared.