New Balance has added yet another rising basketball to its ambassador roster: Cooper Flagg.
The athletic powerhouse announced Monday that it has signed Flagg, who will play college basketball for Duke University this fall. Flagg is the latest athlete to sign a name, image and likeness (NIL) deal with New Balance.
“I grew up wearing New Balance, and I appreciate their authentic connection to my community. The focus and growth of the brand in basketball and our shared values and history drew me in. From day one, it was clear that this would be a family-like partnership,” Flagg said in a statement. “I’m so excited to join this family and help them grow the category with young athletes.”
Although his basketball career is just getting started, Flagg, a 6-foot-9 power forward, is already a decorated athlete. In addition to earning 2023-24 Gatorade National Player of the Year and the 2024 Naismith Boy’s High School Player of the Year honors, Flagg was named to the 2024 USA Basketball Men’s Select Team, which trained with the USA Basketball Men’s National Team ahead of the Paris Olympics. He was both the only teenager and the first collegiate player with the honor since 2013.
New Balance said Flagg will appear in its basketball marketing campaigns and work with the brand across lifestyle extensions and community initiatives, specifically programs that give back to young athletes.
Flagg has had several attachments to New Balance before the deal. For instance, he is from Newport, Maine, which is 25 miles from the New Balance Skowhegan manufacturing facility. New Balance said in a statement that Flagg’s mother would take him and his brothers to the brand’s annual tent sale in Skowhegan to buy their one pair of shoes and backpack for the school year.
“Cooper adds so much to our basketball roster, and we’re thrilled to welcome him to the New Balance family,” New Balance head of basketball sports marketing Naveen Lokesh said in a statement. “He is a force to be reckoned with on the court, and we look forward to building our relationship as he grows the game and supporting him in all his endeavors.”
New Balance’s roster of basketball athletes is stacked, with big names including WNBA star Cameron Brink of the Los Angeles Sparks, and NBA stars Kawhi Leonard of the Los Angeles Clippers and Jamal Murray of the Denver Nuggets, among others.
Peter Verry is the Senior News and Features Editor for Athletic and Outdoor at Footwear News. He oversees coverage of the two fast-paced and ultracompetitive markets, which includes conducting in-depth interviews with industry leaders and writing stories on sneakers and outdoor shoes. He is a lifelong sneaker addict (and shares his newest purchases via @peterverry on Instagram) and spends most of his free time on a trail. He holds an M.A. in journalism from Hofstra University and can be reached at peter.verry@footwearnews.com.
