Duke forward Cooper Flagg declares for 2025 NBA Draft

Cooper Flagg has made his highly-anticipated decision regarding his basketball future. The Duke star will forgo another season in college, choosing to move on from the Blue Devils and enter the 2025 NBA Draft.

Flagg has been ascending since high school, where he played basketball at Montverde Academy (Newport, ME). He was an On3 Five-Star Plus+ prospect, and the No. 1 overall recruit in the 2024 cycle, according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies.

At Duke, he showcased his skill over the course of the 2024-25 season, which culminated in a run to the Final Four during the 2025 Men’s NCAA Tournament. Flagg averaged 19.2 points, 7.5 rebounds and 4.2 assists over the course of his freshman season.

Some theorized he could return to the Blue Devils, after falling short of winning the national title this past season. However, that won’t be the case, as Flagg is on to the 2025 NBA Draft.

He’s widely expected to be the first player off the board, regardless of the team selecting in June. Cooper Flagg seems to be well on his way to stardom, and Duke fans around the nation will be cheering him on at the next level.

More on Cooper Flagg, 2025 NBA Draft

Moreover, On3’s James Fletcher III ranked Flagg as the top player in his 2025 NBA Draft Board. After weighing the Top 75 players who could hear their name called in June, he came to the conclusion that there was no one better than the Duke star.

“Cooper Flagg continues to show why he is heavily considered the favorite to go No. 1 in the 2025 NBA Draft, making an impact on offense and defense at a high level,” Fletcher III wrote. “The ability to play on-ball defense or help from the weak-side as a forward is valuable in any system. The key to separating himself from the field has been his continued offensive development, including the consistency of his perimeter shot to take pressure off his interior finishing.”

Additionally, Fletcher III predicted Flagg will go No. 1 overall to the Washington Wizards in his latest 2025 NBA Mock Draft: “The Washington Wizards are currently leading the race to the bottom, as teams await the NBA Draft lottery to determine which team will get the right to select Cooper Flagg,” Fletcher III wrote. “At this point in the process, his selection at No. 1 is a foregone conclusion for the team picking here.”