Tim Hardaway criticizes Mashburn for saying Flagg wouldn't be a Top 5 freshman in the 2026 NCAA class: "I think it's flagrant"
Jamal Mashburn's comments about Cooper Flagg not being as good as the Top 5 freshmen in college basketball this season have really irked the OGs of the NBA. But just when you thought the issue had died a natural death, here comes Hall of Famer Tim Hardaway Sr. , who wants to add to the rebuttal.
According to Hardaway, there is no denying the skill level of this year's freshman class in college basketball. However, to compare them to someone who is already doing it at the NBA level is outrageous.
"I think it's flagrant because I don't think none of them guys, I think that the guys in the NCAA, none of them can come into the league right now and play and do what Cooper Flagg does. I don't think so. See, we saw Cooper Flagg last year, and we was like 'Ooh-wee, wow.' These other guys are not really 'Ooh-wee and me.' To me, they not 'Ooh!' Cooper Flagg, every game 'Ooh!' Going up and blocking shots," said Hardaway.
Tim Bug said Mash meant no disrespect, but he's wrong
Hardaway seemed at a loss for words there. However, what he was trying to say is that Flagg's game has a wow factor because he has a high motor and plays on both ends of the court. Not to diminish this year's top NCAA freshmen, but they don't have that same impact as Cooper.
However, while Tim Bug added that he believed Mash meant no disrespect to Coop and was merely giving his honest take, Lindsey Hunter said one of college basketball's most heated rivalries was at play because Mashburn is a Kentucky product while Flagg is from Duke.
"Mash doesn't say nothing that he doesn't believe in," Hardaway added. "He said that because he totally believes that. Let me say this. There's nobody on that Kentucky team right now that's able to do what Cooper Flagg did last year or the NBA next year right now."
As for the blue blood rivalry between the Wildcats and Blue Devils, Hardaway took a potshot at Mash's alma mater:
"It was they fault that they should've had somebody in front of Christian Laettner so he couldn't take that shot. They should've had the out-of-bounds guy go all the way, put a seven-foot motherfu—r in front of him, and they would've beat them in the tournament. That was the coach's fault. That wasn't Kentucky's fault," he added.
Paul had the same take as Tim Sr.
Like Hardaway, Paul Pierce had the same take on Mashburn's comments. According to Pierce, AJ Dybantsa does not have the same motor as Flagg , and while he did not say the same about the others, Dybantsa is considered to have the highest upside among his peers, so if he doesn't have it, neither do the rest.
"I love Mashburn, dog. Mashburn's one of my favorite players. I grew up trying to emulate a lot of his s—t. But, Mash, come on, bro," said Pierce on the "No Fouls Given" podcast. "This weekend, I had a chance to see AJ Dybantsa and Darryn Peterson. And when I tell you that motor is a talent. Because if AJ had Cooper Flagg's motor, he'd be something different. You know what I'm saying? A lot of people walked away like, 'Man, you don't go in there and don't take a shot in the first eight minutes,' and you know he had one rebound for the game or zero at halftime. Cooper Flagg wouldn't (let that happen)."
It's hard to understand why Mashburn said what he said. Maybe Hunter is right about the blue blood rivalry thing because no matter how you look at it, how can some guys be better than a player who is already dominating at the level they haven't seen yet?
This story was originally published by Basketball Network on Feb 9, 2026, where it first appeared in the Latest News section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
