Duke freshman Cooper Flagg, projected 2025 No. 1 draft pick, signs shoe deal with New Balance

Duke freshman forward Cooper Flagg, the projected No. 1 pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, has signed a deal with New Balance, the apparel company announced Monday.

The deal – first reported by ESPN – will make Flagg one of New Balance’s signature athletes, likely including a signature shoe. Flagg joins Kawhi Leonard, Jamal Murray and WNBA rookie Cameron Brink as one of New Balance’s basketball headliners.

“I grew up with New Balance and I value their authentic connection to my community. I was attracted to the brand’s focus and growth in basketball and our shared values ​​and history,” Flagg said in a statement. “It was clear from day one that this would be a family partnership. I am so excited to join this family and help them grow the category with young athletes.”

Cooper Flagg, the intelligent choice. pic.twitter.com/JvvvMM9lfm

— New Balance (@newbalance) August 26, 2024

Choosing New Balance was not only a professional decision for Flagg, but also a personal one: the reigning Gatorade National Player of the Year and five-star recruit grew up just 25 miles from New Balance’s factory in Skowhegan, Maine.

Before each new school year, Flagg’s mother Kelly took him and his twin brother Ace to the factory’s annual tent sale, where they bought a new pair of sneakers and a backpack. To promote Monday’s announcement, the company even shot promotional content featuring Flagg in his hometown of Newport, Maine.

“Cooper brings so much to our basketball roster and we are excited to welcome him to the New Balance family,” Naveen Lokesh, head of basketball sports marketing at New Balance, said in a statement. “He is a force to be reckoned with on the pitch, and we look forward to building our relationship as he grows the game and supporting him in all endeavors.”

Before last season, Connecticut female star Paige Bueckers became the first college athlete to have her own shoe deal after signing an NIL contract with Nike. Now Flagg is the second, despite having played less than a minute for the Blue Devils.

While some college athletes have teamed up with apparel companies in the NIL era—Adidas, for example, signed 15 female colleagues in the summer of 2022 in conjunction with the 50th anniversary of Title IX—it is still a relative rarity destined for the top spot in the sport. stars.

Flagg fits that bill, even though he has yet to appear in college. Despite being reclassified through 2024, the 6-foot-4 forward retained the No. 1 recruiting ranking in the class and is expected to lead Duke in Jon Scheyer’s third season as head coach. Duke is number 6 inches The Athletics‘s preseason top-25 rankings.

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(Photo: Ethan Miller/Getty Images)