Cooper Flagg sees an epic battle with the King, although his NBA fate is still unknown: "I want LeBron"

Cooper Flagg isn't even in the NBA yet, but he already knows who he wants to face when he steps onto the hardwood-and he's aiming high. The Duke phenom and projected No. 1 overall draft pick just revealed his dream matchup, and it's none other than the King himself: LeBron James.

"Somebody that obviously I wanna play against is LeBron," Flagg told The Deep 3 podcast. "I think that would just be cool... being able to play against him would be kind of a surreal feeling. What he's been able to do for the game is just insane."

And with the 39-year-old James showing no signs of retirement, the stars may be aligning for a once-in-a-generation faceoff between the NBA's most legendary veteran and its most anticipated rookie.

Flagg vs. James vs. Doncic

Analyst Shams Charania has already dubbed this offseason as potentially the biggest in NBA history, and it's easy to see why. Not only are the playoffs delivering fireworks, but Flagg's arrival has all 30 teams scrambling like it's a league-wide fire drill.

With the Dallas Mavericks winning the draft lottery, they now hold the keys to the Flagg kingdom. The twist? That could pit Cooper Flagg directly against LeBron's Lakers-or whatever team James might land on next, as his future in purple and gold remains uncertain.

There's already buzz around a potential box-office showdown: Luka Doncic vs. his former team, LeBron vs. the heir apparent, and Cooper Flagg's coming-of-age moment-all in one explosive matchup. Some are calling it too cinematic to be true, but in the NBA, stranger things have happened.

Cooper is going big or going home

Flagg's message is loud and clear: if you're going to enter the league, come in swinging. And there's no bigger target than the King himself. Will Cooper miss? Or will we witness the ing of the torch in real time?

One thing's certain: the next chapter of the NBA starts now-and the Blue Devils star is ready to write it in bold.