17 year-old Duke freshman power forward Cooper Flagg has signed a deal with Gatorade.
While Flagg is already projected to be the No. 1 pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, the national endorsements were going to begin sooner rather than later. An endorsement with Gatorade will help him garner national recognition ahead of Duke’s season opening against Maine on Nov. 4.
While Flagg is the first male college athlete to be signed by Gatorade, he is not the first college basketball player to receive this endorsement as both Paige Bueckers and JuJu Watkins have also signed with the brand. With college athletes now being able to profit off of use of their name, image, and likeness (NIL), Gatorade should be looking to sign more emerging college stars in the coming months.
Flagg’s name had already been featured in the national media. This is likely because his scrimmage against the men’s national team prior to the Paris Olympics received heaps of praise from Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James. With one of the best players in the league acknowledging that Flagg could be an NBA star one day, the pressure on him to succeed at Duke is at an all time high.
Last season, the Blue Devils finished 27-9 with a top ten ranking in the season’s final AP polls before being eliminated 76-64 by North Carolina State in the tournament’s elite eight round. With the arrival of Flagg, the Blue Devils will be looking to return to the tournament’s Final Four after a two year hiatus.
Flagg is the type of player scouts look for when drafting players. He is a tall forward who can play both offense and defense well. Instead of taking the most shots, Flagg plays to his strengths by attacking the rim and finding teammates with his playmaking abilities. This will make almost every NBA general manager interested in Flagg’s services as he begins his collegiate career this week.
