The NBA Draft Lottery is here, and the race is officially on to see who will land Duke’s Cooper Flagg. Flagg has arguably been the most hyped prospect since LeBron James over 20 years ago. The Duke standout had an incredible season, leading the Blue Devils in nearly every major statistical category.
While most expected Flagg to declare early for the NBA Draft, he waited until less than a week before the deadline to announce his decision. This gave Duke fans hope that he might return to Durham for another season—but that won’t be the case.
“Duke fans, my teammates, the brotherhood, and everybody that was along for this journey, it was an incredible year. Probably the best year of my life. I have so much gratitude, I feel so blessed for all the opportunities I was given. Duke has always been a dream for me and I’m excited to announce I will be entering my name in the 2025 NBA Draft,” Flagg announced.
The Utah Jazz, Charlotte Hornets, and Washington Wizards currently hold the highest odds of landing the top pick. Whichever team wins the lottery will be in position to draft a potential franchise-altering star.
In a mock draft published in early April, Flagg was projected to go to the Jazz, who have recorded fewer than 100 wins since 2022. Although Flagg is expected to be the cornerstone of whichever franchise selects him, some experts were initially skeptical of his pro potential.
“I wasn’t sure Cooper Flagg could be a guy you could build an NBA franchise around … until this past season at Duke. His ceiling is that of a Top 5–10 player in the league,” Jeff Goodman said.
Follow The Sporting News on WhatsApp
Flagg has lived up to the hype and will go down as one of the best one-and-done players in college basketball history. Now, he simply awaits the moment in June when his name is called—likely as the No. 1 overall pick.