Cooper Flagg was one of the most highly touted men’s college basketball players in recent years. But as he arguably became the sport’s biggest star in the early years of the name, image and likeness (NIL) era, Flagg might have also been one of the most valuable, if not the most valuable, college athletes ever.
The Duke star had at least $28 million in NIL deals during his time in Durham, longtime journalist Howard Bryant shared in a conversation with Bob Costas at the 92nd Street Y in New York City.
That $28 million figure is only based on Flagg’s deals with New Balance and Fanatics. Flagg earned a $13 million deal with New Balance while his Fanatics deal is worth $15 million, according to Bryant.
It’s unclear if those figures are the annual value or the total value of Flagg’s contracts with those brands. When Flagg agreed to his deal with New Balance in August 2024, ESPN reported it was for a “significant” amount. New Balance also made Flagg one of its top athletes, including him in a commercial that features Los Angeles Clippers star Kawhi Leonard, Philadelphia 76ers star Tyrese Maxey and Los Angeles Sparks star Cameron Brink.
As for his deal with Fanatics, Flagg signed an exclusive multi-year contract with the merchandise brand in January. The terms of that deal weren’t unveiled at the time, but it included his first “rookie” card, which was part of the 2025 Bowman University Chrome set.
Flagg had other NIL deals beyond his agreements with New Balance and Fanatics during the 2024-25 season. However, it’s unclear how much those arrangements were worth. He became the first men’s college basketball player to sign an NIL deal with Gatorade last October. He also had NIL deals with AT&T, Cort Furniture and The NIL Store, which would likely bring the total amount of money he agreed to in NIL deals north of $28 million.
Cooper Flagg had at least six known NIL deals at Duke before declaring for the 2025 NBA Draft, where he’s widely expected to be the No. 1 overall pick. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
However, the total value of those deals greatly outnumbers the estimated worth Flagg had on an annual basis. On3 estimated that Flagg had a $4.3 million annual value for the 2024-25 season, which was second among all college athletes. He only trailed Texas quarterback Arch Manning ($6.6 million).
Flagg lived up to the promise as one of the top college basketball recruits since the turn of the century during his one year at Duke. He averaged 19.2 points, 7.5 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 1.4 blocks and 1.4 steals per game, shooting 48.1% from the field and 38.5% from distance – those numbers helped Flagg win all of the major national player of the year awards. He also led Duke to the Final Four, where it lost in the national semifinal to Houston.
Following his strong year at Duke, Flagg declared for the 2025 NBA Draft. The Dallas Mavericks are widely expected to make Flagg the No. 1 overall pick when the draft is held later in June.
In the likely event Flagg goes No. 1, he’ll make even more money from his first NBA deal than what he’s reportedly made in NIL contracts so far. Flagg’s rookie scale contract is projected to be a four-year deal worth $62.7 million, according to Spotrac.
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