Bradley Beal and high school phenom Cooper Flagg had a heated one-on-one battle at Jayson Tatum’s Elite basketball camp in St. Louis, according to former NBA player Brian Scalabrine.
“I heard a rumor that my boy Cooper Flagg was at Jayson Tatum’s camp, and he was busting Brad Beal 1-on-1, and Brad Beal got mad at him. Started cussing him out,” Scalabrine said on Tuesday’s Starting Lineup show on NBA Radio. This dude is a major trash-talker.… So I guess the rumor is that Brad Beal and him were squaring off 1-on-1 and Brad Beal was taking it lightly. It’s a high school kid. Then Cooper started giving it to him. And I guess the rumor is Cooper started talking trash, and Bradley Beal got mad. Really mad.”
Scalabrine is familiar with Flagg, as the two have worked together. The 6-foot-8 Flagg is a Maine native and is currently ranked as the No. 2 player in the nation for the 2025 class, according to 247 Sports.
It’s believable that Beal didn’t go all out initially against Flagg. But if the story is true, Flagg is a heavy trash talker, which surely agitated Beal. Beating one of the highest-paid NBA players is something a 16-year kid will not keep quiet about.
But Beal’s response on an Instagram post about the report puts Scalabrine’s story in question.
Beal wrote: “Huh? with two laughing emojis and two caps emojis,” indicating the story isn’t true.
Bradley Beal must redirect his frustration as he prepares for his first season with the Phoenix Suns. After playing 11 seasons with the Washington Wizards, Beal waived his no-trade clause for the Wizards to send him to the Suns.
Flagg will prepare for his upcoming junior season at Montverde Academy in Florida. He has offers from Connecticut, Duke, Iowa, and Kansas, to name a few. The truth will ultimately come out, either denying or confirming Scalabrine.
