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Future NBA Star Cooper Flagg Will Immediately Be A Top NIL Earner

The NBA's next phenom draft prospect is here, but first he will get the chance to earn some money via NIL while playing for Duke.

Dylan Sanders

Apr 2, 2024; Houston, TX, USA; McDonald's All American East forward Cooper Flagg (32) controls the ball as McDonald's All American West guard Valdez Edgecombe Jr (7) defends during the first half at Toyota Center.
Apr 2, 2024; Houston, TX, USA; McDonald's All American East forward Cooper Flagg (32) controls the ball as McDonald's All American West guard Valdez Edgecombe Jr (7) defends during the first half at Toyota Center. / Maria Lysaker-USA TODAY Sports
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The NBA world has already started to prepare for the next megastar prospect, but that player has to go through the college world first.

After years of hype for his high school dominance, Cooper Flagg committed to the Duke Blue Devils for his one-and-done year.

As soon as he steps on campus, he will be one of the top NIL earners in the country.

On3 NIL has a tool that evaluates what each athlete is worth. While the number has been known to be too low for some athletes, it's still a good baseline to understand what starpower looks like at a collegiate level.

Flagg currently ranks at No. 7 overall in the list with a valuation of $1.4 million before playing his first game at Duke. He's the youngest player in the top-10. The only player that comes close is 2025's No. 1 college football recruit and LSU commit, Bryce Underwood.

The 17-year-old has 783,000 followers on Instagram, an important metric when deciding his value.

He recently went viral after holding his own against players like LeBron James and Anthony Davis while practicing with the USA Basketball Select Team before his 18th birthday.

The Athletic's Joe Vardon and Sam Amick provided some excellent reactions from current NBA players after the showing left them impressed.

“He showed no fear,” said Jalen Duren, center for the Detroit Pistons. “He came and worked hard every day. You would think he’s already here, you know what I mean?”

The forward recent won the Gatorade Best Male Player of the Year honors at the ESPY Awards. Former players include high school stars Jayson Tatum and Karl Anthony-Towns.

The Montverde Academy Eagles were led to an undefeated run to a national championship this past season. Flagg averaged 16.1 points, 7.6 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 2.7 blocks per game as a senior.

Teams around the league are going to be tanking for the right to select him with the first overall pick in the 2024 NBA draft and brands around the world will be hoping to work with him.

Florida's formerly strict NIL laws kept him from capitalizing on his fame in high school, but such restrictions won't be in place at the next level.

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Dylan Sanders
DYLAN SANDERS

Dylan Sanders graduated from Louisiana State University with a degree from the Manship School of Mass Communication in 2023. He was born in raised in Baton Rouge, LA but has also lived in Buffalo, NY. Though he is a recent graduate, he has been writing about sports since he was in high school, covering different sports from baseball to football. While in college, he wrote for the school paper The Reveille and for 247Sports. He was able cover championships in football, baseball and women's basketball during his time at LSU. He has also spent a few years covering the NFL draft and every day activities of the New Orleans Saints. He is a Senior Writer at Inside the Marlins and will also be found across Sports Illustrated's baseball sites as a contributing writer. You can follow him on Twitter or Instagram @dillysanders

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