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Duke Star Joins Tyrese Maxey, Kawhi Leonard With Latest Move

Tyrese Maxey and the New Balance brand are welcoming a college star to the roster.

Justin Grasso

Dec 15, 2023; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia 76ers guard Tyrese Maxey (0) drives against Detroit Pistons guard Killian Hayes (7) during the first quarter at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 15, 2023; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia 76ers guard Tyrese Maxey (0) drives against Detroit Pistons guard Killian Hayes (7) during the first quarter at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports / Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
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As New Balance continues to grow its basketball branch, it landed a notable college player to join the team this week. According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, Duke University star Cooper Flagg becomes the latest player to land an endorsement deal with New Balance.

Flagg joins New Balance as it’s “tied closely” to his home state of Maine.

The incoming college star joins a roster that includes Philadelphia 76ers guard Tyrese Maxey and LA Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard.

The 17-year-old Maine-born standout has yet to play for Duke. However, he made a name for himself years back as he dominated in high school.

Attending the famous Montverde Academy in Florida, Flagg became the consensus No. 1 player in the nation. Across all major recruiting platforms, Flagg was regarded as a five-star recruit. In 2023, Flagg made a verbal commitment to Duke. One month after the commitment, he signed his letter of intent.

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Next season, Flagg will make his NCAA debut. While he’s not guaranteed to make a trip to the NBA Draft in 2025, the assumption is that he’ll be one-and-done and enter the league as a top pick.

Cooper joins New Balance nearly two years after Maxey landed with the brand. Back in January 2023, Maxey struck a deal with New Balance to land his first sneaker deal since entering the NBA in 2020.

Similar to Cooper, Maxey was a star prospect coming out of high school. However, after attending Kentucky, Maxey fell outside of the lottery during the NBA Draft. He landed with the Sixers at 21st overall. By year two, he became a full-time starter. At this point, Maxey is signed to a long-term max deal and established himself as an NBA All-Star.

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Justin Grasso

JUSTIN GRASSO

Title: Credentialed writer/reporter covering the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated’s FanNation Email: JustinGrasso32@Gmail.com Location: Philadelphia, PA Expertise: Reporting, insight, and analysis on the Sixers and the NBA  Justin Grasso is a credentialed writer and publisher covering the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated’s FanNation.  Grasso got his start in sports media in 2016 with FantasyPros, working the news desk, providing game-by-game player analysis and updates on the Portland Trail Blazers and the Golden State Warriors. By 2017, he joined FanSided’s Philadelphia Eagles site as a staff writer. After spending one season covering the Eagles as a staff writer, Grasso was promoted to become the site’s Co-Editor. For the next two NFL seasons, he covered the Eagles closely before broadening his NFL coverage. For a brief stint, Grasso covered the NFL on a national basis after joining Heavy.com as an NFL news desk writer. In 2019, Grasso joined the 76ers' beat on a part-time basis, stepping into a role with South Jersey’s 97.3 ESPN. Ahead of the 2019-2020 NBA season, he concluded a three-year stint covering the Eagles and joined the Sixers beat full-time. Grasso has covered the 76ers exclusively since then for Sports Illustrated. He is a member of the Pro Basketball Writer’s Association.  Twitter: @JGrasso_ Instagram: @JGrassoNBA

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