Both the 2025 NBA Draft and WNBA Draft will feature two generational prospects in Cooper Flagg and Paige Bueckers. They are both sure to add more star power to their respective leagues, giving each two potential cash cows.
Flagg saw his Duke team eliminated from the NCAA Tournament Final Four heartbreakingly, blowing a 6-point lead in the last 35 seconds. However, that shouldn't affect his draft stock, with many believing that he is a generational prospect.
The NBA certainly hopes so. While they aren't hurting for star power, they have seen the number of American-born stars dwindle in recent years. It can be argued that the league's five best players are all internationally born. That is great for the NBA as far as drawing in new viewers from different countries, but it may make it harder to grow the game in the United States.
After all, the league has often featured American-born stars who have helped take the NBA to the next level. In the 1980s, that was Larry Bird and Magic Johnson. In the 1990s, it was Michael Jordan.
Even in the 2000s, they had Shaquille O'Neal, Kobe Bryant, and LeBron James. But as stars like LeBron, Kevin Durant, and Steph Curry age, they have been replaced with international superstars. Flagg has the potential to be an American-born star who is highly marketable, much in the same way that LeBron and Curry were during their primes.
How Cooper Flagg and Paige Bueckers will solve the NBA's and WNBA's biggest problems
Ironically, the WNBA doesn't quite have that problem with the rise of Caitlin Clark, other promising young players such as Cameron Brink, and likely 2025 number one overall Paige Bueckers. Having Clark and Bueckers could help elevate the WNBA in much the same way that Bird and Magic did for the NBA during the '80s.
While the NBA and WNBA are partners, it does pose a risk to the NBA, with them seeing declining ratings this season due to criticisms surrounding how the game is played.
Flagg alone won't change that, but he could be just the latest superstar that they can market to basketball fans to try and bring back interest in the game. Flagg has competition to be the next face of the NBA with the likes of Anthony Edwards and Victor Wembanyama.
However, his talent level at such a young age suggests that he could eventually be a top-5 player in the league and perhaps more marketable than many of the game's top players now.
Ultimately, Flagg and Bueckers' arrivals could be huge for both the NBA and WNBA. They would potentially provide both with two major stars that could further help increase the popularity of both leagues.