Cooper Flagg Pulls Stunner, Signs With New Balance Over Nike And Adidas

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Cooper Flagg, arguably the most highly anticipated college basketball prospect in a decade, will take the floor for the Duke Blue Devils this Fall and won't have a pair of Nike basketball shoes on his feet. Adidas wasn't able to land his signature either. Instead, he'll be wearing New Balance during his freshman campaign.

While New Balance and other brands have made their mark in all four major sports, basketball at every level is still dominated by Nike, which makes Flagg's decision to sign on with NB a surprise, at least for those of us on the outside looking in.

Flagg actually has ties to New Balance thanks to his home state of Maine.

One of New Balance's manufacturing factories calls Skowhegan, Maine, home, which is less than 30 miles from Flagg's hometown of Newport. 

"The connection with New Balance as a family company and a company with Maine roots means a lot to me," Flagg told ESPN. "That makes this really different and special. My mom used to go to the tent sale for back-to-school shopping there when we were kids. That really aligns the brand with my roots. It's a perfect fit."

Flagg was invited to participate in Team USA's pre-Olympic training camp in Las Vegas and caught the attention of everyone on the floor. He was spotted wearing Nike shoes during the camp, but he'll only be seen in New Balances from here on out after signing an undisclosed, yet presumably massive deal with the sports and lifestyle brand.

Flagg joins the likes of Tyrese Maxey, Coco Gauff, and Jamal Murray as some of the most famous athletes in North America who are already part of the New Balance team. If all pans out, and Flagg is as marketable as he appears to be at this point in time, it wouldn't be far-fetched to predict him being the face of New Balance in the same sort of style Steph Curry is with Under Armour, just on a smaller scale.

Flagg, the Gatorade National Player of the Year at Montverde Academy in Florida, is the heavy favorite to be the first-overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft.

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Mark covers all sports at OutKick while keeping a close eye on the world of professional golf. He graduated from the University of Tennessee-Chattanooga before earning his master's degree in journalism from the University of Tennessee. He somehow survived living in Knoxville despite ‘Rocky Top’ being his least favorite song ever written. Before joining OutKick, he wrote for various outlets including SB Nation, The Spun, and BroBible. Mark was also a writer for the Chicago Cubs Double-A affiliate in 2016 when the team won the World Series. He's still waiting for his championship ring to arrive. Follow him on Twitter @itismarkharris.