Cooper Flagg Teases Potential Return to Duke

Every top prospect's dream is to be selected No. 1 overall in the NBA Draft. For Cooper Flagg, this has been a journey that has gotten off without a hitch. Flagg was the No. 1 rated player in high school with the "generational" tag thrown on him for good reason before even making his Duke debut.

His season to date for the Blue Devils has solidified his place at the top of a talented 2025 NBA Draft class. Everyone is playing for pick No. 2, so long as Flagg entered the draft. Which last week, felt like a foregone concussion, this week, Flagg teased a potential return to Durham.

"[expletive] I want to come back next year," Flagg told the Athletic in an exclusive interview.

"I still feel like a kid,” Flagg said when asked if feels more like a college player or a professional athlete. "This is the only way I’ve ever known college. That’s how I see it. I really wouldn’t know how kids felt before, and if this feels different, if this feels more like being a professional. I mean, it’s the same thing for kids in high school, too, getting paid a lot of money. I don’t know. I feel pretty normal."

Being the big man on campus certainly has a massive appeal, especially for a basketball factor such as Duke. The phenom went on to mention his dreams of winning a National Title.

“I always wanted to play in college at the highest level and compete for a national championship," the projected top pick said. "That sort of thing is what I dreamed about.”

The Blue Devils have a chance to win a National Title this season, which perhaps makes the decision to jump to the NBA easier for Flagg if Duke can pull it off.

However, regardless of how the Blue Devils season ends, it would be one of the most shocking decisions in the history of the draft to see Flagg return to school.

The Duke product is the unquestioned No. 1 overall pick in this class, delaying that only opens up the potential for sliding not only due to poor things that happened on the floor but the competition around him in 2026 which AJ Dybantsa and others could threaten him for that spot in the 2026 class.