Cooper Flagg explains wearing Nike shoes at Duke despite NIL deal with New Balance

In August 2024, just before his freshman season began at Duke, Cooper Flagg signed an NIL deal with New Balance. It was his first shoe endorsement deal as the No. 1 overall recruit headed to Durham, and his On3 NIL Valuation has since soared to $4.8 million.

Duke is a Nike school, though. That means Flagg has to wear Nike during team activities, although he’s still promoting New Balance during the NCAA Tournament. He’s notably in a commercial for the brand alongside Cameron Brink, Kawhi Leonard and Tyrese Maxey that airs during March Madness.

Speaking with reporters Wednesday, Flagg acknowledged his relationship with New Balance when asked if he’d rather wear those shoes. However, since Duke has an agreement with Nike, he’s wearing their sneakers on college basketball’s biggest stage.

“Obviously, I love New Balance and I would love to wear their shoe,” Flagg said. “But we’re in a situation where Duke is with Nike, obviously. So just respecting the rules that are in place and kind of what we have to follow.”

Flagg isn’t the first college basketball player to sign an NIL deal with a shoe brand different from the school’s partner. At LSU, star guard Flau’jae Johnson has a partnership with Puma, although the Tigers have an agreement in place with Nike. Hailey Van Lith ran into a similar situation during her time in Baton Rouge before transferring to TCU. She has an NIL deal with adidas, and the Horned Frogs are also a Nike school.

Cooper Flagg capitalizing in NIL space during March Madness

As the projected No. 1 overall pick in the NBA Draft, Cooper Flagg was set up for NIL success when he arrived at Duke. His profile has continued to grow as the top-seeded Blue Devils made a run to the Sweet Sixteen.

In addition to the “significant” deal with New Balance, Flagg’s NIL portfolio includes agreements with Gatorade and The NIL Store. He also secured a landmark, multi-year partnership with Fanatics and received a Topps Bowman Card.

Flagg’s $4.8 million On3 NIL Valuation sits atop the college basketball NIL rankings. It also puts him at No. 2 in the On3 NIL 100 – the first of its kind and defacto NIL ranking of the top 100 high school and college athletes ranked by their On3 NIL Valuation – trailing only Texas quarterback Arch Manning.

Duke practiced Wednesday ahead of its Sweet Sixteen matchup against Arizona. That game will tip off Thursday at 9:39 p.m. ET from Newark, New Jersey.