America’s Top College Player Cooper Flag declares for NBA Draft

By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña

Ladies and gentlemen, the Cooper Flag NBA sweepstakes is now open.

After spending one full NCAA season with the Duke University Blue Devils, the no. 1 ranked college player in America is ready to turn professional after declaring for the NBA Rookie Draft announced on April 22, 2025.

Flagg made noise after confirming his next basketball move via an Instagram post announcement, which was later re-shared by the Blue Devils with the caption: “League next. Duke forever. Thank you Cooper Flagg!”

The 18-year-old prospect already turned heads when he was invited as a part of the practice pool that went up against the USA Basketball national team who won the gold medal during the Paris Olympics.

Athletic, versatile, and a two-way monster, NBA stars like LeBron James and Kevin Durant described Flagg as one of the brightest college players in the country.

In his one-and-done season at Duke, Flagg averaged 19.2 points, 7.5 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 1.4 blocks, and 1.4 steals. He leads the Blue Devils in all those categories.

“His highlights, his statistics, the ways he impacted the game on both ends of the floor, really in every category, was off the charts,” said Duke head coach Jon Scheyer.

Despite losing to the Houston Cougars in a heartbreaker during the Final Four, Flagg still showcased his all-around skillset and led all scorers with 27 points alongside seven rebounds and four assists.

During that intense back-and-forth matchup, Flagg became a walking bucket for the Blue Devils and always posed many mismatches in the post, especially when he had Houston’s LJ Cryer or J’wan Sharp down the shaded lane.

Houston picked their poison of letting Flagg score at will, but made it up when they locked up the other four Duke members inside the floor.

Although he missed a trip to the NCAA finals, Flagg will go down as one of the most talented freshmen to ever wear the blue and white threads.

As of now, NBA franchises are still weighing their options due to the busy playoff schedule, but one thing is for sure: The Flagg draft sweepstakes will cause a huge buzz in the teams that will win the lottery picks.