LOS ANGELES — Cooper Flagg is coming off a successful freshman season at Duke that earned him several accolades. He met the lofty expectations placed upon him as one of the top-ranked players in the 2024 recruiting class.
Flagg was named the men’s John R. Wooden Award winner, an accolade that has recognized the nation’s most outstanding college basketball player each season since it was established in 1976.
The Duke star is the fourth freshman to win the award, joining Kevin Durant, Anthony Davis and Zion Williamson.
Flagg received 1,979 points in the voting, just edging out Auburn forward Johni Broome (1,801).
The 18-year-old averaged 19.2 points, 7.5 rebounds and 4.2 assists per game. The Blue Devils went 35-4, falling in the Final Four.
“There’s a little bit of pressure, but it’s all about trusting the work, my teammates and my coaches and the positions and situations they put me in,” Flagg said about his first college season. “Just being who I am and playing to my potential.”
He was in attendance Friday to receive his award at the Los Angeles Athletic Club.
“It’s an incredible honor for me to get this type of recognition,” Flagg said. “I’m so grateful and it’s just a big honor. I’m just incredibly blessed to have this opportunity and experience.”
He also won the ACC Player of the Year and Rookie of the Year awards. He led Duke back to the Final Four for the first time since 2022. But the Blue Devils were eliminated by Houston, which stunningly rallied in the final minutes of the game.
The Cougars went on a 9-0 scoring run in the final 35 seconds of the game to beat Duke 70-67 at the Alamodome and advance to the national championship game.
“I think you can take lessons from every game that you play in,” Flagg said. “I’ll take that and I’m going to learn a lot from it. I’ll probably watch the film and just try to grow from that experience and remember what that felt like and use it as motivation.”
Flagg is likely to carry that motivation with him to the next level. He wasn’t willing to speak publicly yet about his future, but he’s expected to be the first player selected in the 2025 NBA Draft.
Who will have the No. 1 pick in the 2025 NBA Draft?
The NBA Draft Lottery is scheduled for May 12 in Chicago.
The Utah Jazz (17-63), Washington Wizards (17-63), and Charlotte Hornets (19-62) have the three worst records in the NBA and are on track to have the best odds to land the top pick.
When is the NBA draft?
The NBA draft is scheduled for June 25, at 8 p.m. ET. The draft will be broadcast on ESPN, ABC and ESPN+.