Cooper Flagg’s rapid rise has already put him in the conversation with the NBA’s biggest names, but one former Mavericks player stirred up a different kind of debate about the young Dallas forward.
Flagg, fresh off Rookie of the Year honors in 2025-26, has opened his second NBA season looking every bit like an All-NBA candidate. Through his first five games of 2026-27, he’s averaging 26.8 points, 6.6 assists and 6.0 rebounds per game.
Still, the conversation around Flagg took a sharp turn when Charlie Villanueva weighed in on whether a white player can be the face of the league. Villanueva, who played in the NBA from 2005-16 and had a late stint with the Mavericks, made the comments on the “To The Baha” podcast with Thoe Pinson and other former NBA players.
“ This might sound crazy, but I don’t think in 2026 a white dude could be - I’m gonna be real - could be the face of the league, if I’m being honest,” Villanueva said."Because it's a Black league, right?"
The exchange drew attention quickly, and Villanueva didn’t back away from it afterward. He later doubled down on the same point, saying, "When is the last time we’ve seen a white man be the face of the league?
Don’t say Larry Bird, they had to pair him up with Magic," Villanueva said. "When was the last time a white man was single-handedly the best player in the league?”
Villanueva then tried to clarify his stance on social media, where he said the NBA is "70 to 75 percent Black."
"I see the comments BUT I still don't think some of y'all understand what I'm trying to say," Villanueva captioned his past. "And for the record, Cooper Flagg is HIM, wanna my favorite players!"
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