Duke’s Cooper Flagg, likely top pick in 2025 NBA Draft, signs shoe deal with New Balance

Before he even steps on the court for Duke as a freshman, Cooper Flagg is cashing in on what promises to be a lucrative basketball career.

Flagg, expected to be the No. 1 pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, has signed a multi-year shoe deal with New Balance, reports ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. The agreement will include one NIL (Name, Image and Likeness) year while Flagg is in college before compensating him for multiple seasons to begin his NBA career, according to Boardroom.

New Balance has a home tie to Flagg, who grew up in Newport, Maine before moving to Montverde, Florida to play for Montverde, Florida. The shoe company has a manufacturing factory in Skowhegan, 25 miles away from Flagg’s childhood home.

Flagg, 17, explained to Wojnarowski that his mother went to New Balance tent sales for back-to-school sales when he was growing up, establishing roots that no other brand could with him.

WIth New Balance, Flagg joins a roster of basketball talent that includes Kawhi Leonard, Tyrese Maxey, Jamal Murray and Cameron Brink. The company also has deals with tennis star Coco Gauff and track and field athlete Quincy Wilson.

As a senior, the 6-foot-8 Flagg averaged 16.5 points, 7.5 rebounds, 3.8 assists, 3.7 steals and 3.7 blocks for a Montverde Academy team that went 34–0 and won a national title. He was awarded Gatorade National Player of the Year, Mr. Basketball USA and Naismith Prep Player of the Year honors.

Before his senior year, Flagg reclassified from the 2025 class to 2024, making him eligible for the 2025 NBA Draft because he will turn 18 years old as a freshman. He committed to Duke last October, after also being recruited intensely by UConn, Kansas and Kentucky.

Flagg impressed observers during Team USA’s pre-Olympic training camp in Las Vegas with his play for the Select Team during scrimmages. He was the only college player – and teenager – invited to join the Select Team, building anticipation for his freshman season at Duke and his NBA future.