Cooper Flagg broke the tradition of Duke Blue Devils athletes inking deals with Nike. He recently signed a shoe endorsement deal with New Balance. Both nostalgia and familiarity played a huge role in his decision because the brand has one of its manufacturing units close to where Flagg grew up in Maine.

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 — which was first reported by ESPN — will make Flagg one of New Balance’s signature athletes,

New Balance signed Shohei Ohtani, the best two-way player in baseball and now the shoe company has landed Duke five-star freshman Cooper Flagg, the best two-way prospect in the 2025 NBA Draft. New Balance announced Monday that Flagg is joining its growing roster.