Duke freshman Cooper Flagg inks NIL deal with Gatorade

Duke freshman Cooper Flagg, who was the top-ranked recruit in the 2024 cycle, inked his first major endorsement deal. Expected to be the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, Flagg signed a partnership with Gatorade on Tuesday morning.

Flagg becomes the latest college basketball star to sign with the sports drink company, joining USC’s Juju Watkins, Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders and UConn’s Paige Bueckers.

“This has been a big year for me on and off the court, and Gatorade has been there the whole way,” Flagg said in a statement. “From being named the Gatorade Best Male Player of the Year to now officially joining the team, it’s been surreal to have my name mentioned with some of the biggest names in basketball. The Gatorade roster is iconic, and I’m excited to work with them as I take this next step.”    

The 2024 Gatorade Best Male Player of the Year, Flagg was the only underclassman on the preseason AP All-America Team. The 6-foot-9 small forward was the key piece of Duke’s No. 1 recruiting class in 2024 according to the On3 Industry Ranking.

Flagg led Nike’s EYBL E16 Circuit in points (26.9) and blocks (4.5) in 2023. In his team’s run to the Peach Jam finals, he averaged 25.4 points, 13.0 rebounds, 5.7 assists, and 6.9 blocks through the seven games.

After becoming the first-ever freshman to be selected as Maine’s Gatorade Player of the Year, he transferred to basketball powerhouse Montverde Academy in Florida after his freshman season. Flagg averaged 9.8 points, 5.2 rebounds, and three assists per game in his first season at Montverde, firmly establishing him as the consensus No. 1 prospect in the 2024 recruiting class.

Now set to play for Jon Scheyer and the Blue Devils, On3’s Jamie Shaw previously wrote that Flagg, “is someone who affects the game across the board. Whether his player archetype is classified as a two-way wing or a play-making wing, up until this point, the 6-foot-8 Flagg firmly plants his fingerprints on the outcome of each game he plays.”

Cooper Flagg’s On3 NIL Valuation

The Duke freshman holds an $2.6 million On3 NIL Valuation, ranking No. 1 in college basketball. The valuation is No. 5 in the On3 NIL 100, the first of its kind and de facto NIL ranking of the top 100 high school and college athletes ranked by their On3 NIL Valuation.

Cooper Flagg has a major social media following, closing in on 900,000 followers.

“The top recruit – and likely number one pick in the 2025 NBA Draft – will have the opportunity to take his story national at the top program in men’s basketball,” an agent, who requested anonymity, told On3 when Flagg committed to Duke. “No matter the wins and losses – like Notre Dame in football – Duke is always on TV and a headline conversation nationally. Should he choose to fully engage in NIL, Flagg will have unlimited opportunities.”

The On3 NIL Valuation is calculated by combining roster value and personal NIL. Roster value is the value an athlete has by being a member of his or her team at his or her school, which factors into the role of NIL collectives. NIL in an athlete’s name, image and likeness and the value it could bring to regional and national brands outside of the scope of NIL collectives.

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