The ‘tanking’ phenomenon in professional sports is a controversial yet entertaining topic of discussion for top executives and casual fans alike.
Puns and catchphrases have been coined by the media to describe this race to the bottom, as teams deliberately underperform for a shot at drafting a historic prospect.
The Cooper Flagg sweepstakes in the NBA are no exception.
On Tuesday, guest host Danny Parkins of The Herd on Fox Sports Radio and FS1 stated, “In the NFL, we had ‘Tank for Trevor [Lawrence],’ ‘Suck for [Andrew] Luck.’ Nets fans, Jazz fans, Spurs fans, Pistons fans, you’re going to be trying to capture the Flagg with this tanking and then you’ll hope for lottery luck.”
The Brooklyn Nets were the first team to make a supposed move for Flagg on June 25, trading away star wing Mikal Bridges to the crosstown Knicks in exchange for three picks in the 2025 draft.
San Francisco-based radio station 95.7 The Game also posted a video to YouTube on Wednesday morning titled, ‘Warriors Looking to Capture The Flagg,’ as The Morning Roast talk show hosts contemplated Golden State’s chances at landing the 17-year-old Newport native.
Flagg cemented himself as the future No. 1 pick in the 2025 NBA Draft this past weekend, going toe-to-toe with the USA Olympic basketball team in two scrimmages with the USA Select Team.
Flagg-related puns first appeared on the media landscape in October 2023, when the incoming Duke freshman announced his college commitment on the cover of SLAM Magazine with the caption, “Cooper Flagg Pledges Allegiance to the Brotherhood.”
