Duke freshman Cooper Flagg Signs Historic NIL Deal with Gatorade

Duke freshman Cooper Flagg has made history before playing in his first NCAA official college basketball game. 

On Tuesday, Gatorade announced that Flagg will become the first-ever men’s college basketball player to sign a deal with the sports drink brand. Flagg joins Juju Watkins, Paige Bueckers, and Shedeur Sanders as the only other college athletes signed to the brand.

The 6-foot-9 phenom has already signed a shoe deal with New Balance and has likely eclipsed his reported $2.6 million NIL value, which is already the highest-mark among NCAA basketball players. 

Flagg is the most hyped American basketball prospect since former Duke star Zion Williamson. Yet, unlike other top American prospects in recent years, Flagg will have the opportunity to cash in on his name, image, and likeness before turning pro. And he’s wasted no time in capitalizing by signing deals ahead of Duke’s 2024-25 season opener. In addition to New Balance and Gatorade, Flagg has also signed an NIL partnership with Cort Furniture, a cross-country moving company.

Flagg Isn’t Focused On Earning Money In College

The 2024 Gatorade Player of the Year has amassed over 828,000 followers on Instagram, making him one of the most followed players in the country. That gives him a projected value of over $15,000 per post. But despite his immense earning potential, Flagg is just focused on being present in the moment and enjoying what will likely be his only year in college.

“Yeah, I mean it’s been great to just be with my teammates going through this part of my life,” Flagg told NJ.com in the locker room after the Arizona State game.

“It’s something you only get to go through once, being a freshman in college, so I’ve had a really good time with it.”

The Cooper Flagg Hype Is Justified

New Balance and Gatorade aren’t the only entities who believe Flagg is the real deal.

Duke coach Jon Scheyer echoed the same sentiment after his team blew out the Sun Devils 103-47 in an exhibition match last week.

“I just think he has this ‘it’ factor that you can’t explain where he just makes everybody around him better and his unselfishness when your best player’s not searching for stats, it has such an amazing impact on the rest of your team,” Scheyer said. 

Despite the win, Flagg was not among the six Blue Devils players who finished the game in double-figures. The freshman phenom finished with 9 points on 3-of-9 shooting with four rebounds and three assists.