Projected Top NBA Draft Pick Reportedly Earned $28 Million in NIL

The biggest star in college basketball last season was undoubtedly Duke Blue Devils' freshman forward Cooper Flagg.

The highly-touted recruit was viewed by many as the best player in the nation before he ever stepped foot on the court in college.

Flagg lived up to the enormous hype, though, as he averaged 19.2 points, 7.5 rebounds and 4.2 assists per game while leading the Blue Devils to the Final Four. This performance also netted him every major award in the nation, including the coveted Wooden Award, which is handed out to the best player in college hoops on an annual basis.

In the modern era of NIL, Flagg's enormous star power naturally secured him some very lucrative endorsements, and one prominent analyst recently suggested that the true amount of these NIL deals was much higher than anyone could have guessed.

According to CBS Sports' Brad Crawford, sports reporter Howard Bryant recently sat down with Bob Costas, and in this conversation, Crawford revealed the jaw-dropping NIL total that Flagg secured in his lone year at Duke.

"$28 million," Howard said. "He had a $13 million deal with New Balance and then $15 million with Fanatics."

The crowd in attendance was audibly shocked when Howard dropped the enormous figure, and for good reason.

$28 million is more than many All-Star-caliber NBA veterans currently make, so the thought of a college freshman raking in that much is pretty astonishing.

This figure also may be a case of something being too good to be true, as well.

According to Crawford, it's likely that Howard was conflating the total amount of the deals that Flagg has signed with the amount they are slated to pay out per season.

"Here's the thing," Crawford writes, "Howard's reported total is likely Flagg's NIL contracts in totality and not an annual payment. ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski previously reported Flagg's New Balance agreement was 'significant.' These are often multiyear contracts between incoming rookies and sneaker companies."

This seems far more plausible than Flagg getting paid $28 million for one year of college basketball.

After all, the New Balance deal he signed as an incoming college freshman was reportedly for several years, and the company knew full well that only one of those seasons would be at the college level.

While Howard's reporting might have been a bit sensationalized, there's no denying that Flagg has used his brand to maximum effect at the college level.

He secured generational paydays before ever stepping foot on an NBA court.

Now, the presumptive first overall draft pick will enter his professional career with a level of financial security that no other rookie has ever known.

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