Latest news with #NaismithPlayeroftheYear
Yahoo
41 minutes ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Mavericks Set to Pay Cooper Flagg Less Per Year Than What He Made in NIL at Duke
Mavericks Set to Pay Cooper Flagg Less Per Year Than What He Made in NIL at Duke originally appeared on Athlon Sports. For just about every player making the jump from college basketball to the NBA, they'll be receiving a larger chunk of change than what they earned at the college level. Advertisement However, based on his reported NIL calculations, the same cannot be said for the No. 1 pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, Cooper Flagg. The former Duke Blue Devils star, who won both ACC Player of the Year and Naismith Player of the Year during his freshman season, was selected by the Dallas Mavericks Wednesday evening. Due to his popularity and expectations for his career, which were far greater than any player in his class, Flagg made an astounding amount of money at Duke. As reported in May by veteran journalist Howard Bryant, Flagg made $28 million during his lone season at Duke, owing to his multi-million dollar deals with brands like New Balance and Fanatics. As a result, this not only translated to an amount significantly higher than his initially reported $4.8 million NIL Valuation, but was also more than his proposed annual salary with the Mavs. Cooper Flagg poses with NBA commissioner Adam Penner-Imagn Images As confirmed by Spotrac, the NBA's Rookie Wage scale has the top pick in the draft slated to make $62.7 million over his first four years. When broken down yearly, that comes down to over $15.6 million per year, coming out to over $12 million less than what he made at Duke. Advertisement However, the first contract is never the most lucrative in any league, as Spotrac also confirmed that he will be eligible for a 30% supermax extension in 2029 worth $359 million. While Flagg is bound to become a billionaire over the course of his career, it is quite shocking to see how much money he was drawing in during Duke's Final Four run. Related: Cooper Flagg's NBA Salary Revealed After Making Draft History This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 26, 2025, where it first appeared.
USA Today
4 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Jason Kidd wants Cooper Flagg at point guard: 'Want to make him uncomfortable'
The Cooper Flagg era in Dallas is officially underway, as the No. 1 overall pick from the 2025 NBA Draft was introduced on Friday, June 27. In that introductory news conference, Dallas Mavericks coach Jason Kidd didn't hold back his intentions for Flagg, including throwing him into a position in the NBA summer league that he doesn't have a ton of experience at: point guard. "I don't look at the position. I want to put him at point guard. I want to make him uncomfortable and see how he reacts (to) being able to run the show," Kidd said. Kidd went on to say that Flagg will also play the 2 and the 3 with the Mavericks, two positions that he played at Duke and is "comfortable in." "We want to push," Kidd said. "And I think he's going to respond in a positive way. It's all right to fail. It's all right to turn the ball over. We've talked about that. "Just understanding the guys that I've been around that have been young from Giannis (Antetokounmpo) giving him the ball and he failed, but he wanted to come back and have the ball. I'm excited to give him the ball against the Lakers (in the summer league) and see what happens." Though Flagg was never listed at point guard for Duke or played it, the Naismith Player of the Year did bring up the ball at times for the Blue Devils – on top of showcasing other skillsets a point guard has while never playing the position. In 37 games last season, Flagg led all Duke players with 4.2 assists per game. Being selected No. 1 overall by the Mavericks, Flagg will receive a four-year NBA rookie contract with a total estimated value of $62.7 million, according to Spotrac. Noted by the Fayetteville Observer, part of the USA TODAY Network, Flagg's four-year contract is only guaranteed for the first two years under the NBA's Collective Bargaining Agreement as Years 3 and 4 of the contract are team options. Flagg is set to begin his NBA career with Dallas in the NBA 2K26 Summer League on Thursday, July 10 at 8 p.m. ET against the Los Angeles Lakers and Bronny James. The USA TODAY app gets you to the heart of the news — fast. Download for award-winning coverage, crosswords, audio storytelling, the eNewspaper and more.
Yahoo
18-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Jon Scheyer Sends Strong Message About Cooper Flagg Ahead of NBA Draft
Jon Scheyer Sends Strong Message About Cooper Flagg Ahead of NBA Draft originally appeared on Athlon Sports. With the NBA draft set for June 25 and 26, the countdown is officially on until former Duke Blue Devils star Cooper Flagg hears his name called as the No. 1 overall pick by the Dallas Mavericks. Advertisement Ahead of the big night, Duke head coach Jon Scheyer joined "The Ryen Russillo Podcast" to discuss Flagg's mindset and the potential of how he might fit at the next level—particularly on a team already loaded with proven star veterans like Kyrie Irving, Klay Thompson, and Anthony Davis. 'Cooper had as good and as special of a season as I've ever been a part of with any player," Scheyer said. "But he also had moments where things didn't go his way—when we lost, when there was heartbreak. And in those moments, there were no excuses, no finger-pointing. It was always, 'What does Cooper need to do better?' That's pretty old school, pretty special, and it's a big reason why he's going to be the No. 1 pick and why he'll be a great player for a very long time.' Scheyer continued, 'He's so unselfish—that's just his nature. He could've easily averaged 20-plus points this year. Going forward, I think he'll be just fine With his ability to shoot from three, finish at the rim, and create his own shot, I think he's going to become one of the best scorers in the NBA over time.' Duke Blue Devils forward Cooper Flagg and head coach Jon Scheyer© Robert Deutsch-Imagn Images Cooper Flagg was widely projected to be the No. 1 overall pick before he even stepped on the court at Duke—and somehow, he still managed to exceed the sky-high expectations that followed him from Newport, Maine, to Montverde Academy, where he was the top recruit in the Class of 2024. Flagg led the Blue Devils to both the ACC regular season and conference tournament titles, a Final Four appearance, and topped the team in nearly every major statistical category. His dominant season earned him a sweep of the sport's top honors, including the Wooden Award, Naismith Player of the Year, and both ACC Player and Rookie of the Year. Advertisement Related: Duke Basketball Makes Big Announcement on Tuesday This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 17, 2025, where it first appeared.
Yahoo
18-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Exciting Cooper Flagg Announcement Made Ahead of NBA Draft
Exciting Cooper Flagg Announcement Made Ahead of NBA Draft originally appeared on Athlon Sports. It's all but a certainty that Duke Blue Devils star Cooper Flagg will be the first player to hear his name called on June 25, when the NBA Draft begins and the Dallas Mavericks go on the clock to make their selection. Advertisement However, Flagg has been viewed as the consensus No. 1 pick since before he truly even played his first game in Durham, North Carolina, for the Blue Devils. Coming out of Newport, Maine, Flagg was — and still is — considered a generational talent, and even with the sky-high expectations, he's managed to exceed them. This week, Flagg is in the midst of a private meeting with the Mavericks organization and is now just a week away from potentially joining forces with Anthony Davis, Klay Thompson, and fellow former Duke stars Kyrie Irving and Dereck Lively. To add to the excitement ahead of draft night, it was revealed Wednesday that Flagg is the latest cover athlete for "Sports Illustrated," donning New Balance gear — the first major brand deal he signed during his time at Duke. Flagg led Duke to a stellar 35-4 season, capturing both the ACC regular season and conference tournament titles. He also helped guide the Blue Devils to the Final Four, where they were ultimately upset by the Houston Cougars following a second-half collapse. Advertisement Still, Flagg delivered a historic season. He swept the major national awards—winning the Wooden Award, Naismith Player of the Year, and earning both ACC Player and Rookie of the Year honors—while leading Duke in every major statistical category. Cooper Flagg talks to the media at the NBA Draft CombineDavid Banks-Imagn Image The former Montverde Academy star averaged 19.2 points, 7.5 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 1.4 steals, and 1.4 blocks per game, while shooting 48.1% from the field and an impressive 38.5% from beyond the arc. Now, he'll join a Mavericks team that's already built to compete—after Dallas shockingly landed the No. 1 pick in the draft lottery despite having just a 1.8% chance to do so. Advertisement Related: Jon Scheyer Sends Strong Message About Cooper Flagg Ahead of NBA Draft This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 18, 2025, where it first appeared.
USA Today
17-06-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Alabama All-American Mark Sears reveals mindset in NBA draft workouts
Alabama All-American Mark Sears reveals mindset in NBA draft workouts Mark Sears was a Naismith Player of the Year semifinalist, and the former Alabama guard is working to showcase himself at a high level ahead of the 2025 NBA draft. Sears was a consensus first-team All-American, averaging 18.6 points, 5.1 assists and 2.9 rebounds on 34.5% shooting from 3-point range in 37 games. His 690 total points ranked fourth-most in a single season in program history. The 6-foot standout is projected to be a second-round pick after establishing himself as one of the top guards in the country. He wants to show he can do more than just score and is using feedback from teams to improve over this process. "They want to constantly see me do things that are not going to show up on the stat sheet so that is what I'm doing," Sears said Monday, via Sean Cunningham of KCRA-TV. "I'm trying to show that I can guard bigger players, I can defend at a high level -- doing stuff that doesn't require scoring the ball." Sears left college ranked 19th in all-time career scoring with 2,841 points, having spent two years at Ohio and three at Alabama. He set the Crimson Tide records for points (232), wins (9) and games played (11) in the NCAA Tournament. The 23-year-old helped Alabama advance to the Elite Eight in each of the past two seasons, the only team to accomplish that feat over that span. He was the West Region Most Outstanding Player and set a program record with 10 3-pointers in a win over BYU on March 27. Sears is on the verge of joining a growing list of Alabama players drafted to the NBA. He believes his time in Tuscaloosa helped prepare him for that opportunity. "I feel like they set me up great for this opportunity I'm going through," Sears said. "We played very similar to the NBA style. What Coach (Nate) Oats has going is very high level, and I feel that is going to be a great transformation for me in the league."
