Projected top pick in '25 NBA draft Cooper Flagg commits to Duke - ESPN

Cooper Flagg, the top prospect in high school basketball and the favorite to be the No. 1 pick in the 2025 NBA draft, announced his commitment to Duke on Monday.

Flagg chose the Blue Devils over UConn.

Duke was seen as the overwhelming favorite since the early days of Flagg's recruitment. Coach Jon Scheyer made his presence felt at Flagg's games, even when Flagg was playing on the 15U Nike EYBL circuit, and continued to be a staple at his games last spring. Coaches from UConn, Kansas, Kentucky and Michigan also spent time watching him this past summer.

Three schools emerged for Flagg: Duke, UConn and Kansas. He took an official visit to Storrs, Connecticut, in late September, as the Huskies continued to close the gap. Shortly after, Flagg canceled a scheduled visit to Kansas, leaving just the Blue Devils and the Huskies. But a second visit to Duke, for the Blue Devils' Countdown to Craziness event last weekend, firmly shifted the momentum back toward Scheyer and the Blue Devils.

«After I got on campus, I really started to envision myself in Durham,» Flagg told SLAM in his commitment video. «All the love I felt made me really excited, seeing all the Crazies and the atmosphere in Cameron. I'm honored that I have the opportunity to join the brotherhood.»

In August, Flagg announced he was reclassifying from the 2025 class to 2024 and planned to enter college next fall. He will turn 18 in December of his freshman year, making him eligible for the 2025 NBA draft.

Flagg, a 6-foot-8 forward from Maine, cemented himself as the premier prospect in the country with a long stretch of productive outings in June and July. He entered the summer ranked No. 2 in the 2025 class behind Cameron Boozer, but he earned MVP honors at the