Duke’s Cooper Flagg signs New Balance shoe endorsement deal

Duke forward Cooper Flagg — the No. 1 prospect in ESPN’s 2025 NBA draft class — has signed a major shoe endorsement deal with New Balance.

Flagg joins a New Balance brand that is closely tied to his home state, including a manufacturing plant in Skowhegan, Maine, 25 miles from his childhood home in Newport.

“The connection to New Balance as a family company and a company with Maine roots means a lot to me,” Flagg told ESPN. “That makes it really different and special. My mom used to go there for after school shopping at tent sales when we were kids. It really aligns the brand with my roots. It’s a perfect fit.”

Flagg, 17, reclassified to enter college a year early and looms as a highly anticipated NBA prospect. At 6-foot-9, Flagg is a tremendous two-way player with explosive athleticism, all-around skills and a penchant for playing at a high rate of intensity. She was the only college player and teenager invited to Team USA’s pre-Olympic training camp in Las Vegas and made a strong impression as part of the team selected against the USA’s gold-medal-winning roster.

Changes in name, image and likeness rules in recent years make these types of endorsement deals more common for elite prospects like Flagg. New Balance’s history with top young prospects across sports includes Coco Goff, Tyrese Maxey and Quincy Wilson.

“As a little kid, I can imagine dreaming about things like this,” Flagg told ESPN. “This is an incredible opportunity, and I am truly blessed and grateful to have been placed in this position.”

Flagg was the Gatorade National Player of the Year at Monteverde Academy in Florida in a senior season that included 16.5 points, 7.5 rebounds, 3.8 assists, 3.7 steals and 3.7 blocks per game.