Maine basketball star Cooper Flagg announced he will leave Duke University and enter the NBA draft.
The 6-foot-9, forward from Newport, Maine, was just 17 when he arrived at Duke after reclassifying to graduate early from high school.
The 18-year-old is expected to be the first overall pick in the NBA draft. He will also be the first player born and raised in Maine to be drafted into the NBA’s first round.
Flagg was named the John R. Wooden Award winner as the nation’s top men’s player, beating Auburn’s Johni Broome by 178 votes. He is Duke’s eighth Wooden winner, the most of any school.
He averaged 19.2 points, 7.5 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 1.4 blocks and 1.4 steals to lead the Blue Devils in each category. He’s a versatile threat who showed the ability to thrive as a scorer, playmaker and defender.
Flagg was also named The Associated Press men’s college basketball national player of the year, becoming only the fourth freshman to win the award in its 64-year history.
“His highlights, his statistics, the ways he impacted the game on both ends of the floor, really in every category, was off the charts — as good of a freshman season that a guy has had here,” Duke coach Jon Scheyer said in a social media video from the program about Flagg’s NBA declaration.
The statistical highlight came when Flagg scored 42 points to set an Atlantic Coast Conference freshman record against Notre Dame in January, along with having 30 points, six rebounds and seven assists to help Duke hold off Arizona in the NCAA Tournament’s Sweet 16. There were plenty of impressive single plays, too, that demanded highlight-reel placement like his transition dunk through a defender against Pittsburgh in January.
Flagg closed with 27 points and seven rebounds in a loss to Houston in the national semifinals. The Blue Devils had led by 14 with about 8 1/2 minutes left but faltered late, with Houston scoring the game’s last nine points in the final 33 seconds and Flagg missing a late shot for the lead.
Still, he was an elite and hypercompetitive force for one of college basketball’s top teams all season with a game far more advanced than his age, capable of making an impact from baseline to baseline and sideline to sideline. He won’t turn 19 until December, which would be roughly two months into his rookie season.
The 2025 NBA Draft Lottery will be held on May 12. The 2025 NBA Draft will be held June 25-26 in New York.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.