Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) continues to be kind to student-athletes up and down the country.
The radical policy change, enacted in 2021, has allowed superstar athletes and influencers to make millions off their personal brands for the first time in NCAA history.
Flagg is the latest star to take advantage of the changes around NILGetty
Cooper Flagg, widely projected to be the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, is the latest athlete to take advantage of the change.
The 6ft 9in prodigy has just signed a historic deal NIL deal with Gatorade, making him the first NCAA men’s basketball player to sign an NIL deal with the sports-themed beverage brand.
“Cooper is an incredible talent who quickly emerged as one of the best young athletes in the nation, and we know he has a bright future ahead of him,” Gatorade Global Head of Sports Marketing Jeff Kearney said, via The Duke Chronicle.
“At Gatorade, we work with the best of the best, so we’re proud to welcome Cooper to the family and are excited to be fueling him as his collegiate career begins.”
It comes after the 17-year-old hooper signed a ‘significant’ shoe endorsement deal with New Balance.
Flagg’s decision to sign with the powerhouse sneaker brand may have had something to do with New Balance having a massive manufacturing plant only 25 miles away from Flagg’s childhood home.
Such lucrative endorsement deals have seen native of Newport, Maine, reach an eye-popping NIL valuation.
Per On3, Flagg has an NIL valuation of $2.6 million, fifth among all college athletes in the US.
He trails only Colorado Buffaloes quarterback Sheduer Sanders ($6.2 million), LSU gymnast Livvy Dunne ($4 million), Buffaloes wide receiver/cornerback Travis Hunter ($3.4 million), and Texas Longhorns quarterback Arch Manning ($3.1 million).
Dunne has joined a number of famous faces on the new Forbes rich listGetty Images – Getty
Sanders became the first college athlete to sign a deal with NikeGetty
Flagg was a five-star recruit and won multiple national player of the year honors in high school.
He attended Montverde Academy in Florida, played in the Nike Elite Youth Basketball League and has Amateur Athletic Union experience.
The teenage sensation stole the show in Las Vegas earlier this year while some of the best basketball players in the world prepared for the 2024 Summer Olympics.
The small forward was one of 12 players on a select team who worked out against LeBron James and Steph Curry‘s Team USA ahead of their gold medal run at the Paris Olympics.
Flagg was chosen to take part in a scrimmage against LeBron’s Team USA before they headed to the Paris OlympicsGetty
Flagg stole the show and showed the steam of superstar what he’s all aboutGetty
Video footage from a scrimmage showed Flagg playing with supreme confidence as he shook off defenders, unleashed powerful dunks and drilled long-range shots.
“[He has a] high basketball IQ, tough, willing to learn,” USA Select Team and Orlando Magic head coach Jamahl Mosley said of Flagg.
“He gets to the spots that he needs to for a shot a lot, able to get to the rim, great touch on his shot… I mean, he can play. There’s no in-between. There’s me saying, in many different forms, he can just flat-out play.”
Flagg’s performances have caught the attention of numerous NBA legends.
When asked what young star under the age of 23 outside of Victor Wembanyama and Anthony Edwards Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce would want to build a franchise around, they both immediately said Flagg.
“I’ve seen Cooper Flagg play against NBA players,” Garnett said.
“So, I’m not going off of that, but when I am gauging a player to see where he is as far as progression and if he’s going to be able to do A,B, and C, what I saw was a great test,” he added, referring to Cooper’s performances against Team USA.
“He’s got that superstar potential that you can come in, put product behind him,” KG added.
“I could see kids wanting to be like that and play like that…
“We ain’t have no cold (expletive) white boy like this in a long time.”
He’s currently a freshman at Duke and will likely play one season before joining the NBAGetty
Flagg is currently a freshman at Duke where he will play this upcoming season before declaring for next spring’s draft.
The Brooklyn Nets, Washington Wizards, Detroit Pistons, Utah Jazz and Charlotte Hornets are just a few teams who could be favored to land the prospect come June.
Right now, though, his focus will be on winning a national title for the No. 7 ranked Blue Devils.
Duke are coming off a loss in the Elite Eight of the 2024 NCAA Tournament and face Maine in their first game of the new season on Monday, November 4.
