cooper flagg: $4.8 million NIL-valued Cooper Flagg gets candid about “cherishing” moments at NBA combine: “You only get to do this once”

Former Duke Blue Devils star Cooper Flagg is expected to be the first player selected in the 2025 NBA draft. The Newport, Maine, native is enjoying the process leading up to the event.

In an Instagram video from the NBA combine posted by the NBA Future Starts Now, Flagg opened up about how he is living the process ahead of the event.

"Feels great. It's a good experience, great environment to be here," Flagg said. "I'm excited to be here for the opportunity. This is the type of thing you dream about as a kid, so I think it's hard for a lot of us here to take a second and enjoy and cherish the experience that we're going to go through right now. You only get to do this once."

The $4.8 million NIL-worth (per On3) Cooper Flagg is considered the top prospect coming out of college. His combination of size and skill makes him a can't-miss prospect for many NBA Draft analysts.

In his only season at Duke, the 6-9, 209-pound forward averaged 19.2 points, 7.5 rebounds and 4.2 assists for Jon Scheyer's squad. Flagg also added 1. blocks and 1.4 steals per game.

The Blue Devils were among the top teams in college basketball for most of the year and made a run to the Final Four, where they lost to the Houston Cougars in the semifinals. He will now look to have the same impact at the next level.

Combine invitees will spend this week in Chicago, where they will participate in the event. Players will get to do individual drills, interview with NBA team officials and play five-on-five games against other players invited.

The NBA Draft will take place on Jun. 25 at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.

Dallas Mavericks win 'Cooper Flagg sweepstakes'

The Dallas Mavericks got the first pick in the NBA Draft Lottery on Monday night. This means the Mavs will get to pick Cooper Flagg in the upcoming NBA Draft.

The Mavericks had the fourth-longest odds to land the first pick, with a 1.8% chance. The San Antonio Spurs will get the second pick, followed by the Philadelphia 76ers. The Charlotte Hornets and Utah Jazz round out the top five.

Cooper Flagg's arrival could help alleviate a fan base that was at odds with the Mavs' front office after the team decided to trade Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers for Anthony Davis, Max Christie and a 2029 first round pick.

About the author

Allan Wolburg Robles is a College Sports journalist at Sportskeeda with over 17 years of experience in the field writing for publications including Reforma, Yahoo! OddsShark and Apuesta. Allan studied Communications at Anáhuac University, where he learned what would become the basis of a trade that was already a dream of his before starting college.

His favorite team is Army West Point as when he was young, Allan lived in West Point for a couple of years, went to pretty much every home game, a couple of Army-Navy games and even got to meet some of the players.

Allan's favorite players of all time include Tommie Frazier, who was unbelievable during the Nebraska dynasty of the early 90's. Tim Tebow was also a favorite, mainly because of his leadership skills, although he was also awesome on the football field. As a fan of defensive football, (or what's left of it), Sean Taylor could take over a game for Miami.

Allan has always considered himself a student of the game more than a fan of it. So the historical part and evolution of the game, as well as the ins and outs of what happens on the field, and being able to put it into words for the audience, are his biggest strengths.

Besides sports, Allan enjoys reading books, watching movies and spending time with his dogs.

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Edited by Chaitanya Prakash