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Myron Medcalf, ESPN Staff Writer
Cooper Flagg is accustomed to the national spotlight at this point.
The 17-year-old is Duke’s next college basketball star and the projected No. 1 pick in the 2025 NBA draft by ESPN. Now, he can add Gatorade sponsorship to his list of accomplishments as the 6-foot-9 phenom became the first men’s college basketball player to sign with the brand, the company announced on Tuesday.
Flagg said he’s been committed to keeping his circle tight as the buzz — and opportunities — around him continues to grow.
“It just comes down to trying to just stay grounded and kind of stay where my feet are and focus on the present and where I am,” Flagg told ESPN in a conversation about his Gatorade sponsorship and his first season as a college basketball star. “Whether that’s focusing on a day we have practice, class … Whatever I’m doing, I’m just trying to stay present and really just focus on the moment.”
With Gatorade, he’ll join Paige Bueckers and JuJu Watkins as the other college basketball stars attached to the brand.
Flagg’s popularity grew over the summer after he had an impressive performance in a scrimmage against the men’s national team before the Paris Olympics. That performance prompted LeBron James to tell Esquire that the five-star prospect will be one of the next faces of the NBA once he arrives. That experience with the national team, Flagg said, helped him glean wisdom from some of the best players in the world.
“I would say some of the biggest advice was just to stay humble and keep working,” Flagg said. “It really is just about staying grounded and not getting too ahead of yourself.”
He said he also cherishes his relationship with James.
“It was nothing really specific that [James] said, [but] obviously someone of that success and everything that he’s done in his career, it’s cool just to talk to him.”
Flagg is a rare athlete. He has the size of a power forward but he plays like an explosive guard, slashing to the rim and scoring across the court. He’s one of the most versatile freshman college basketball players since Zion Williamson.
Flagg said he doesn’t have one player at the next level whom he tries to emulate, but former Duke star Jayson Tatum has made an impact on his game.
“There is nobody specific that I’ve mainly focused on modeling my game after,” he said. “But I would say [Tatum] would be a good example of [someone]. I’ve watched him a lot. Not necessarily as a model, modeling my game, but just having watched him a lot, there are definitely things that I can pick up on and take from his game.”
Flagg said he’s still stunned by some of the accolades and opportunities he’s received. He said he would not have believed someone if they would have told him that he would one day become one of the most highly touted players in the game, with a Gatorade sponsorship, when he was a kid in Maine.
“I mean, I probably would’ve told you that you were lying,” he said. “I think for sure, growing up, that’s something that I had to deal with. A lot of it was people telling me like, I was just gonna be a kid from Maine. I would just play basketball in Maine. So, I think, going through that, I probably would’ve just thought you were lying, but I always kind of had my own self-confidence at the same time.”
He said he’s excited about the upcoming season, which will include a number of nationally televised showcases including Duke’s matchup against Kentucky in the Champions Classic and a meeting with No. 1 Kansas in Las Vegas during Thanksgiving week.
He said his family, friends and teammates have all helped him handle everything that has come his way thus far.
“I think my parents for sure played a huge role in that,” he said. “My teammates, obviously being around them every single day, they definitely have helped me stay focused. And then my friends. I have [childhood] friends that I talk to almost every day. They help just keep me grounded, keep me in the moment.”