As the Dallas Mavericks prepare to take Cooper Flagg with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft on Wednesday night, many have offered comparisons regarding the former Duke star. Most have focused on big-bodied, versatile playmaking forwards such as Jayson Tatum, Scottie Pippen and even Andrei Kirilenko.
Then Kendrick Perkins took his turn.
Appearing on ESPN’s NBA Draft preview show on Tuesday night, Perkins delivered perhaps the wildest player comp for the 18-year-old forward yet: Cooper Flagg as the theoretical offspring of LeBron James and Kevin Garnett.
“This is how I look at Cooper Flagg: If LeBron James and Kevin Garnett had a baby, you get Cooper Flagg,” Perkins said.
“What a comp,” the typically mild-mannered Shams Charania responded.
“Why I say that is because when you think about LeBron James, you think of a complete basketball player, right?” Perkins continued, unfazed by his co-hosts’ laughter. “Jay [Bilas], you just ran off the stats. He led the team in everything. That’s a LeBron James-type thing. And you talked about his passion, his tenacity. I’m watching KG all over again, the way that he plays at a high level. We don’t give players enough credit like Cooper Flagg. I think it’s a skill to have a high motor like he has.”
Perkins proceeded praise Flagg’s decision to reclassify in high school and begin his college career a year earlier than he was originally scheduled to.
“You talk about his competitive nature and saying this is one of the most competitive guys over the last 20 years,” he said. “It is, because most guys in high school nowadays, they reclass and go the other way. He reclassed up, so he’s running up the chimney looking for the smoke. And I love everything about this young man. I love how humble he is. I love how low maintenance he is and how hardworking he is and he’s a generational talent.”
“This is how I look at Cooper Flagg. If LeBron James and Kevin Garnett had a baby, you’d get Cooper Flagg.”
Kendrick Perkins. pic.twitter.com/CIv6jVa9C7
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) June 24, 2025
To Perkins’ credit player comps are hardly an exact science and he’s not the first person to liken Flagg to Garnett. And although the James comparison is a tougher sell, that seems to be more about the Maine native’s versatility than his actual skillset.
But while there may be some validity to Perkins’ unique comparison, the idea of LeBron James and Kevin Garnett having a baby together remains humorous nonetheless. Especially considering that the two are former rivals, who once famously engaged in an on-court altercation that somehow also involved James’ own mother.
About Ben Axelrod
Ben Axelrod is a veteran of the sports media landscape, having most recently worked for NBC's Cleveland affiliate, WKYC. Prior to his time in Cleveland, he covered Ohio State football and the Big Ten for outlets including Cox Media Group, Bleacher Report, Scout and Rivals.