Cooper Flagg and Michael Jordan are both big golf guys, and the two had a chance to connect at the Ryder Cup tournament this weekend.
The Dallas Mavericks, who drafted Flagg first overall this summer, posted a picture on Saturday of Flagg and Jordan shaking hands at the Bethpage Black golf course as the U.S. and European team competed for this year’s Ryder Cup.
“Epic link up at the Ryder Cup,” the Mavericks posted on Instagram.
Flagg has fallen in love with golf and uses it as a chance to relax while still channeling his competitive nature, his longtime player development coach Matt MacKenzie told the Bangor Daily News earlier this month.
“He’s a natural and he really just enjoys being out on the golf course every chance he can get at this point,” MacKenzie said.
Jordan’s love of golf is well-documented, as is the way he brought his relentless competitive spirit from the court to the course.
Flagg has also listed Jordan among his dream NBA golf foursome, as one of the three top NBA players he would want to play a round of golf with.
“Well you hear stories about MJ golfing 18-plus holes on game days, just because it was his way of mentally preparing. And every athlete has their own ways of doing that,” MacKenzie said when asked about Flagg’s comments about potentially golfing with Jordan. “So I know for Cooper, he’s found it very peaceful, he’s found it to be a way of just training his mind and body to do something a little bit different, so it’s not always on the basketball court.”
Flagg enjoys being outside and checking out different courses, MacKenzie said.
And the NBA rookie seemed to be enjoying the chance to meet up with Jordan at Bethpage Black this weekend as well.
Along with Jordan, Flagg named Boston Celtics star Jason Tatum and future Hall of Famer Steph Curry as the top players he would like to play golf with.
Flagg also just crossed paths with Curry’s longtime friend and business partner, Bryant Barr, when Barr and Flagg’s mother Kelly Flagg were inducted into the Maine Sports Hall of Fame last weekend. Barr was a standout multi-sport high school athlete in Maine and went on to play basketball with Curry at Davidson College.
“Everything I’ve read about him, heard about him, it seems like he’s got an incredible head on his shoulders,” Barr said about Flagg before that ceremony in Bangor. “He’s got good people around him, and he’s representing Maine in the best of ways.”
Barr has also caddied for Curry at a celebrity golf tournament. So maybe there’s a chance to make that dream golf outing happen at some point.
