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Cooper Flagg Shares Duke’s Message Ahead of NBA Draft

Originally posted on Athlon Sports
By Rowan Fisher-Shotton | Last updated Jun 23, 2025 8:07 PM ET

Duke men’s basketball took to Instagram on Monday with a short highlight reel celebrating the program’s historic NBA pipeline: 111 all-time draft picks, including 28 in the past ten years and 30 total lottery picks, the most of all-time.

The clip rolls through vintage frames of program icons hearing their names called, such as Brandon Ingram, Kyrie Irving, Jayson Tatum and Zion Williamson, before shifting focus to this year’s Blue Devils.

Cooper Flagg, Kon Knueppel, Khaman Maluach, Tyrese Proctor and Sion James are each tagged as projected draftees in the upcoming 2025 NBA draft.

As the final graphic fades in, "They Got Next," Flagg reposted the video to his own Instagram story shortly after.

Flagg’s freshman campaign at Duke was nothing short of historic.

At just 18 years old, he averaged 19.2 points, 7.5 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 1.4 steals and 1.4 blocks per game, earning Consensus National Player of the Year, the ACC Player of the Year and a spot on the First-Team All-ACC.

His January 11 outburst, 42 points, six rebounds and seven assists against Notre Dame, smashed both Duke and ACC freshman scoring records and cemented his status as a once-in-a-generation talent.

Behind Flagg, Duke’s 2024-25 squad compiled a 35-4 overall record, went 19-1 in ACC play, and swept both the ACC regular-season and tournament championships before storming to the Final Four in Indianapolis.

As for the draft outlook, Flagg sits atop nearly every mock board as the projected No. 1 overall selection, a pick held by the Dallas Mavericks.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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