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Every clip Jack Johnson’s large Black fists smashed into a achromatic fighter’s face, he wasn’t conscionable breaking nan bones of his opponents, but nan tone of White America. Blow aft rustle aft blow. Out of this shame, a mythos was born. One aft another, achromatic fighters propped up for illustration scarecrows. One aft another, collapsing. As taste professional Gerald Early has argued, Johnson’s fights became little astir athletics and much astir nan play of title successful America, pinch each knockout symbolizing a nonstop situation to achromatic supremacy. For nan adjacent 100 years, crossed aggregate sports, whites person tried to find nan adjacent champion to return them to glory. This myth-making moreover inspired Howard Sackler’s Pulitzer-winning play The Great White Hope.
In basketball, figures for illustration Jerry West and “Pistol” Pete Maravich represented Anglo excellence earlier nan NBA’s afloat desegregation revealed nan overwhelming superiority of African-American players. By nan clip Larry Bird roseate successful nan 1980s, nan Great White Hope communicative had simply been repackaged for a caller generation. Bird was a badass hick from Indiana. Bird was a godsend to Boston’s achromatic moving class. Bird was Magic’s equal. Bird was nan Great White Hope disguised arsenic nan Great White Hope denier.
From a 1985 Sports Illustrated profile:
I don’t want to beryllium seen arsenic nan Great White Hope. I conscionable want to beryllium a awesome hoops player, period.
But that was 40 years ago. The MVP-level achromatic players since person each been European (Dirk Nowitzki, Luka Dončić, Nikola Jokić). There hasn’t been an American achromatic All-Star successful nan NBA since Kevin Love successful 2018: a bully player, but nary superstar.
If location were ever a made-for-TV crippled for nan adjacent Great White Hope to emerge, Sackler couldn’t person imagined a amended milieu than nan Dallas Mavericks. This is nan only franchise that tin opportunity its 3 champion all-time players are each achromatic (Steve Nash, Nowitzki, Dončić). With Dončić’s waste and acquisition to nan Lakers still caller and raw, Dallas are desperate. The metropolis has been languishing, nursing an unfastened wound. So erstwhile luck connected nan level of conspiracy fell successful Harrison’s lap, Cooper Flagg became portion of a myth-cycle that pre-dates him by a millennium.
Not since LeBron James successful 2003 has a rookie arrived carrying specified immense expectations, on pinch nan hopes of a metropolis hopeless for deliverance. In Dallas, nan 18-year-old Flagg is stepping into a crap show. The Dončić waste and acquisition was 1 of nan worst ever. When he was traded, nan fanbase protested losing him extracurricular nan arena for weeks, moreover dragging a coffin to nan steps of American Airlines Center. A dormant fandom successful a dormant box. Harrison should convey his dumb luck, aliases nan scripted simulacrum that landed him Flagg, who ostensibly saved his job.
None of this is Flagg’s fault. He’s conscionable a bully kid from Maine who wants to hoop. But nan reality is nan Mavericks are a monolithic mobility mark. Harrison is still nan GM, truthful thing is imaginable regarding roster construction. Kyrie Irving re-signed pinch Dallas this summer, but is retired for nan twelvemonth pinch a torn ACL. Anthony Davis is simply a erstwhile superstar who mightiness still person thing typical near successful nan vessel astatine 32, but remains nan astir injury-prone large man successful nan NBA. The remainder of nan roster has rangy bigs and defensive-minded wings. Shot-creation will autumn chiefly connected Flagg, who will beryllium nan rightful favourite for Rookie of nan Year. He besides has a chance, pinch Irving out, to lead nan Mavs successful scoring and assists. Flagg is much known for his all-around two-way game, particularly his voracious defense. But successful twelvemonth one, he will beryllium asked to tally nan offense.
Checking retired his afloat shooting floor plan reveals nan cracks and nan promise. From Maine United to Montverde to Duke, nan information shows what benignant of looks he hunts and what he makes of them. Layups (1.22 points per shot) and free throws (a ridiculous 1.62) are his bread-and-butter. Unguarded catch-and-shoot threes are money astatine 1.08 points per shot. Then nan cracks: pull-up twos astatine 0.64, floaters astatine 0.87 descend for illustration stones. This is wherever defense will unit him successful twelvemonth one. As a rookie, he’ll person to unrecorded astatine nan rim and connected nan line. The polished Bird-style pull-up daggers will travel later.
Unlike nan opponents Johnson put connected nan floor, Flagg is nan existent deal. He obliterates nan aged stereotype of nan “crafty but unathletic” achromatic player. His vertical leap is convulsive and quick, his defense freakishly reactive. He tin shoot, handle, take sides and playmake. His favourite player? Bird. No shit. He has Bird’s bawdy panache, too, which he will request each ounce of, playing for Mavericks proprietor Miriam Adelson. Her titles include: gambling lobbyist. Trump’s apical donor. Architect of legalized vice. Builder of casinos. Propagandist for Israel’s genocide successful Gaza. She is each of those things, and she is besides nan main designer down legalizing gambling successful Texas truthful that she tin descend Dallas into gambling degeneracy. Rookies don’t get to determine wherever they’re drafted. Flagg has to play for an proprietor whose authorities are toxic. That’s portion of nan unit he’ll look conscionable trying to hoop.
Dallas person a fanbase accustomed to achromatic superstars. Flagg doesn’t person to capable Dončić’s shoes, but he does person to travel successful his footsteps. Dirk was nan silent assassin, gentle and approachable. Dončić was a devilish imp, sarcastic and afloat of South Dallas swag. Both were beloved. Flagg’s handoff is surgery earlier it begins. He’ll person to predominate connected nan tribunal and found a beingness disconnected it.
So far, he’s responded coolly: “I wouldn’t look astatine thing arsenic pressure. … I’m not worried astir surviving up to definite players’ expectations. … I’m conscionable going to beryllium myself and really effort to get amended each azygous time that I can.”
But Flagg’s not only stepping into group baggage – he’s entering a nationalist zeitgeist. After nan first 2 decades of nan NBA being dominated by American whites, desegregation made clear that Black players were superior successful each portion of nan game. Ironically, Nowitzki became nan archetype that helped Europe drawback up to America. Dirk was nan first European-born MVP, but Jokić has racked up 3 of his own. Former Mav Nash won back-to-back MVPs successful Phoenix. Meanwhile, nan US has mostly produced achromatic domiciled players for illustration JJ Redick: shooters, facilitators, table-setters. It’s difficult to proceed to declare America is nan champion hoops state erstwhile it’s been 8 seasons since it produced an MVP.
Flagg has nan chance to beryllium much than that. He looks for illustration a transcendent talent, a subordinate who could alteration not conscionable really nan crippled is played but really it’s taught. Post-Dirk, each large shoots threes. Not since Brent “Bones” Barry person we seen a achromatic kid from nan suburbs dunk for illustration this. Defensively, Flagg is already built different. His timing and coordination are preternatural: those “dead arm” blocks wherever he meets nan shot midair without flinching. His rim protection already resembles that of a perennial All-Defense campaigner earlier he tin legally bargain a beer.
Similarly, Caitlin Clark’s presence successful nan WNBA was a maelstrom of a ratings roar and civilization warfare for a achromatic phenom successful a Black-dominated league. Flagg steps into thing similar, though nan book is older connected nan men’s broadside and stitched straight into NBA mythology.
It’s foolish fandom to guidelines against anyone because of race. But it happens crossed each races and sports. Dallas is unsocial successful its history of generational achromatic stars. Flagg will person to artifact retired nan sound and attraction connected ball. He’s done that astatine each level. The metropolis is wounded, still earthy from Dončić’s departure, and there’s treatment that must happen. Providing intermezo for nan masses will help, but Dallas doesn’t person a mythical Jack Johnson to defeat. There’s nary group redemption arc waiting to beryllium fulfilled. There’s conscionable bad humor and difficult truths.
Flagg doesn’t beryllium to redeem whiteness aliases avenge Jack Johnson’s ghosts. He exists successful a convention wherever those myths linger but nary longer dictate nan game. His communicative is astir possibility. He’s a teen stepping into a communicative larger than himself. At worst, Flagg will beryllium a invited distraction. At best, he could constitute nan adjacent section successful basketball’s analyzable history of expectations.
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