Jay Williams sends message to Kentucky fans regarding Cooper Flagg: 'You won't like it'

Jay Williams had something to explain to Kentucky fans following their 77-72 win over Duke in the Champions Classic.

Williams shared his message in a video on Twitter earlier today. He posted it after some criticism from those in the bluegrass of how ESPN may have framed between the Wildcats and Blue Devils, specifically the spotlight on the freshman phenom in Cooper Flagg. While he knows that Kentucky deserved more credit for winning the Top-20 matchup, he hopes they also know that college basketball is going to market a player like Flagg all season long. If they don’t know, though, they’d better get used to it too.

Dear #BBN

Here is the reality about your win versus Duke & Cooper Flagg….

PS. You won’t like it. pic.twitter.com/1Ym1Zr1H2w

— Jay Williams (@RealJayWilliams) November 14, 2024

“Dear #BBN, Here is the reality about your win versus Duke & Cooper Flagg,” tweeted Williams. “PS. You won’t like it.”

“Let me put you on to something. Whether you like it or not, networks are going to sell Cooper Flagg. He’s going to be the first pick in the draft. You’re going to talk about whether he won the game or he lost the game, regardless of the outcome. You’re going to market him for a product that needs to attach theirselves to something that is marketable and that can cut through. Cooper Flagg can cut through,” Williams said. “So, I get it. You’re not going to like it. That’s what the media does. There should be more kudos and props to Mark Pope and to Kentucky. That ain’t the reality of the world we live in, y’all.”

To be clear too, Williams, a Duke alum, did his part to applaud the Wildcats following the game.

“I hope you guys appreciate that, after the win you guys had against my Duke team last night? On SportsCenter live on ESPN right after the game, even though there’s a massive damn picture of Cooper Flagg behind me? I decided to give credit to the team that actually won the game,” said Williams. “I decided to give props to Mark Pope and his squad for a team that had nobody on their roster – bringing in transfers, fifth-year guys and gave them kudos for how they executed down the stretch because they deserved it.”

Flagg has been as advertised through three games of his collegiate career. He has averages of 19 points, 10 rebounds, 3.3 assists, 1.7 blocks, and 1.7 steals while shooting 45.5% so far. That’s why ESPN centered much of the coverage for the second game in the event on Tuesday on him, especially after going for the best performance in it with a 26-point, 12-rebound double-double with two assists and two blocks. However, it was also two late turnovers from him out of three total that ended up leading to a comeback win for the Wildcats in Atlanta

As great as Flagg is, some could become tired of hearing about him over the course of this season. Still, he’s going to be one of the game’s biggest stories this year and, as such, will be covered like it game in and game out, whether he plays well or not, and no matter who wins or loses.

“It’s called marketing. It’s called selling,” said Williams. “So, regardless of whether you like it or not, Big Blue Nation? Media networks are going to sell Cooper Flagg.”

“Get ready, regardless of if of whether you won the game or not. They’re still going to sell Cooper Flagg because he’s selling the sport,” Williams said. “Sorry.”