Cooper Flagg is the favorite to be the No. 1 pick in the 2025 NBA Draft. This is no secret.
Flagg averaged 19.2 points, 7.5 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 1.4 steals, and 1.4 blocks while shooting 38.5% from three-point range for Duke. He was the national player of the year before declaring for the draft.
He can do it all on the court, but what was he like in the classroom?
Prior to going to college, Cooper Flagg had a 4.10 GPA at Montverde Academy.
Flagg also had a 4.0 GPA during the fall semester at Duke.
What if @Cooper_Flagg is:
— Duke Men’s Basketball (@DukeMBB) January 11, 2025
the best defensive player in college basketball
and
leads the team in scoring, rebounding, assists, steals and blocks
and
got a 4.0 fall GPA
and
turned 18 last month pic.twitter.com/AP9scx5IO5
Flagg’s college career ended in heartbreaking fashion.
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Duke was just 30 seconds away from advancing to the National Championship as the Blue Devils held a 67-61 lead over Houston. However, Flagg and Co. experienced an extraordinary collapse.
In one of the most memorable upset wins in the Final Four in recent memory, Houston fought back from a 14-point deficit at one stage to fight back and secure a 70-67 win over Duke.
Houston rallied with an 11-1 run in the final 64 seconds of the game.
Cooper Flagg ultimately did his best to keep his team in the game, scoring a game-high 27 points, seven rebounds, four assists, three blocks, and two steals.
It would be his final collegiate game.
LeBron James Believes Cooper Flagg Will Be ‘Amazing’
LeBron James praised Cooper Flagg, a top prospect in the 2025 NBA Draft, and predicted he would excel with the Dallas Mavericks.
“He has the benefit, unlike myself, he gets to join a team that’s established, with Hall of Fame guys,” James said.
“Klay Thompson, Anthony Davis, Kyrie Irving, right off the bat, Hall of Fame coach Jason Kidd. These guys, they can give him the whole blueprint while he continues to learn what his blueprint will be. And I think that’s gonna be an incredible thing for him to have. That type of presence, that type of leadership, that type of just basketball IQ and knowledge around him every single day from those pieces. So, I think he’s going to be amazing.”
That is high praise from a four-time NBA MVP who has won four titles.
Flagg led Duke to the Final Four, earning accolades such as ACC Player of the Year and Wooden and Naismith awards, averaging 19.2 points and impressive shooting percentages.
