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Today’s Case

Top high school men’s basketball prospect Cooper Flagg commits to Duke, partners with SLAM for shirt release

Cooper Flagg is leveraging his NIL long before his first official game at Cameron Indoor Stadium.

Along with becoming the first player to ever commit on SLAM magazine’s cover, SLAM and Flagg have partnered to release t-shirts, priced at $45, to celebrate the moment.

According to the magazine’s website, a portion of the proceeds from the shirts will go to the Lewiston-Auburn Response Fund, which was created to address current and emerging needs associated with last week’s mass shooting in Maine (Flagg’s home state).

Flagg currently plays at basketball powerhouse Montverde Academy, located west of Orlando, Florida. While it is unclear if he signed an NIL deal with SLAM, Flagg does not have to follow the Florida High School Athletic Association’s policy because Montverde plays a national schedule. As of now, Florida prohibits high schoolers from signing NIL deals and maintaining eligibility.

The Verdict

• Big recruit showcasing NIL in a big way

  • While every five star athlete will not follow this method, Flagg did a great job of leveraging his NIL with a three-part approach. (Exclusive announcement + shirt + proceeds donated.)

    • While it would most likely be done on a smaller scale, this can be emulated for virtually any high school athlete announcing their college choice. Even without the exclusive announcement, creating merch + donating proceeds is a smart approach to leverage NIL (if the athlete’s state permits it).

• Tapping into NIL pre-college

  • Smart move by Flagg finding an NIL loophole and using it to his advantage. (Maine allows for high school athletes to monetize their NIL, so he would have been permitted to do this deal if he played high school basketball in his home state.)

  • Additionally, I wasn’t able to find any info on other NIL deals Flagg has completed, so this may be his first one. If so, it’s a great way to kick off his NIL journey.

• Massive deals forthcoming

  • Presuming that Flagg will be a one-and-done at Duke before heading to the NBA, the deals that he will leverage during his one season with the Blue Devils will be massive.

    • Look for him to sign several big partnerships (with accompanying big payouts) and earn money through The Brotherhood NIL (specific for Duke men’s basketball).

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