Former NBA guard Gilbert Arenas believes Cooper Flagg could receive a bigger marketing push from the NBA than Victor Wembanyama because of his American background and appeal to domestic sponsors.
During a discussion with Danny Green and DeMarcus Cousins, Arenas argued that the league’s decisions about promoting players are influenced by their ability to attract major sponsorship deals.
“I’m talking about marketing. Remember, I can sell Cooper Flagg to my companies. It’s hard to sell overseas guys.”
Green suggested that younger stars such as Anthony Edwards and Cade Cunningham should also be considered among the NBA’s emerging faces.
“I’m saying that age bracket of guys that could be with the Anthony Edwards, Cade Cunningham. They might be a little bit ahead of them, but…”
However, Arenas clarified that he was specifically discussing which players the league would prioritize when negotiating with sponsors.
“I’m talking about who the league leans on. When I’m making them pitches, and I need them billions, and I need these sponsors.”
Arenas continued by explaining why he believes American players could have an advantage over international stars in certain marketing situations.
“So he can go, ‘Hey, Papa John’s coming to this meeting.’ He can do that. I mean, Shai can do it too, because he’s right up the street. But, you know, Wemby might be in, these other superstars like Luka and all them, they’re not here.”
Cousins disagreed with the idea that Flagg and Wembanyama would be treated differently, arguing that both could become leading representatives of the league.
“If Wemby is one of the faces, so is Cooper. Cooper Flagg is not far off from Wemby.”
Arenas maintained that Flagg would receive greater promotional attention because he is American.
“No, no, no, no. I think they’ll push Cooper before they push Wemby because he’s American…”
He went further, suggesting that the NBA’s emphasis on European stars has been influenced by the absence of a prominent white American player to promote.
“The reason the league push the Euros so much is because they don’t have an American white to push.”
