Duke Basketball Star Freshman Needs Support to Find Balance After Huge NIL Deals

College Basketball freshman Cooper Flagg already has his hands full before playing a single game for the Duke Blue Devils. Luckily, there is plenty of help inside the program.

Jaylynn Nash-Imagn Images

The Duke Blue Devils Men’s Basketball team will begin their season on Monday as they look to capitalize on last season’s Elite Eight appearance.

The program will look to make a deeper run in the upcoming campaign after bringing in one of the most anticipated freshmen in recent memory across college basketball. Cooper Flagg, a 6’ 9” guard out of Newport, Maine, was the top recruit in the class and is making a name for himself already before even playing in his first game for the Blue Devils through NIL.

Flagg already has NIL deals valued at $2.6 million. According to the On3 Top 100, Flagg is fifth among all college athletes in NIL Valuation. He is the top earner in all of college basketball. 

This past week, the Duke freshman signed a major NIL deal with Gatorade, making him the first male college basketball player to sign on with the famous sports drink company. He joins other big names in the Gatorade family, such as Caitlin Clark, Shedeur Sanders, JuJu Watkins, and Paige Bueckers. 

As Flagg transitions to college basketball under head coach Jon Scheyer, the young star's biggest priority is focusing on his performance on the court. This can be challenging for a player already seeing superstar-level fame and sponsorships, but the Duke program has ways of helping him navigate those problems.

One of Blue Devils manager Rachel Baker’s responsibilities this season is helping players with their brand deals. This will help players focus more on the court and ensure their minds are in the right spot as they work toward the main goal of a National Championship.

Recently, Baker was on “The Brotherhood Podcast” and discussed some of the things she does with players like Flagg and the rest of the roster.

"I think it's about understanding that you guys are all different and getting to know Cooper when he got here and that even more so,” said Baker. “I think basketball is your primary focus, and NIL is a result of that but not anything you want to spend too much time on."

It’s not the easiest job and sometimes can be thankless, as Baker describes sometimes when she has to help players make tough decisions to ensure they are on the right track in the long term to reach their ultimate goals. For Flagg, that is reaching the pros, potentially as the number one overall pick in next season's NBA Draft. 

“I think how close I am with our creative team, with our coaching staff and understanding you guys and what the priorities might look like and then trying to be the bad guy when I have to and make things easier on you so you can all reach your individual goals,” said the Duke manager.

Cooper Flagg will get his first taste of regular-season basketball on Monday. He is set to suit up for the Blue Devils, who will host his home-state school, Maine Black Bears.