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Former Duke stars Cooper Flagg and Kon Knueppel are two of the top American basketball players.

Don't be surprised if former Duke stars Cooper Flagg and Kon Knueppel are on Team USA in 2028.

According to Vincent Goodwill of ESPN, Flagg and Knueppel are expected to be under consideration for the 2028 USA Men's Basketball Team. 

Flagg and Knueppel were stars at Duke. They are now stars in the NBA for the Dallas Mavericks and Charlotte Hornets, respectively. 

The Mavericks selected Flagg with the first pick in the 2025 NBA Draft. Flagg averaged 19.2 points, 7.5 rebounds and 4.2 assists per game in his lone season at Duke. 

Meanwhile, the Hornets selected Knueppel with the fourth overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft. Knueppel averaged 14.4 points, 4.0 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game at Duke. 

Flagg was on Team USA's Select Team in 2024. He played well against NBA players in practice and that experience helped him dominate college basketball for one season at Duke. 

"What I like about him, he really competes and plays hard," a source connected with USA Basketball said of Flagg. "He's good at just about everything."

Knueppel was a great shooter in college at Duke. He's now one of the best shooters in the NBA. Knueppel leads the NBA in 3-pointers. 

Team USA won the gold medal in the 2024 Paris Olympics. The roster was LeBron James, Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, Anthony Davis, Bam Adebayo, Joel Embiid, Jayson Tatum, Derrick White, Jrue Holiday, Devin Booker, Tyrese Haliburton and Anthony Edwards.

James and Curry probably won't play in the 2028 Olympics, opening up two spots for Flagg and Knueppel. Tatum, another Duke product, will have recovered from his Achilles tear by the time 2028 rolls around. 

It will be fascinating to see if Knueppel and Flagg are on the 2028 Team USA roster. Miami Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra has taken over for Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr as Team USA's head coach.

Duke legend Grant Hill is Team USA's managing director, so he will certainly love to have Flagg and Knueppel on the 2028 team. 

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