Cooper Flagg has been turning heads all throughout his college season. The Duke Blue Devils shooting guard has long been touted as the possible No. 1 pick in this year’s NBA Draft.
However, according to recent odds, the 18-year-old freshman’s NBA career this year looks to be in doubt before it even begins.
Could Cooper Flagg Stay in College?
This weekend, Flagg led his team to capture the Atlantic Coast Conference regular season title against their bitter rivals, North Carolina. Flagg dropped 15 points with 9 rebounds and six assists as Duke won the game 82-69.
After the game, Flagg highlighted the possibility of this being his last season with the Blue Devils. However, on Monday, Bravada Sportsbook revealed shocking odds regarding Flagg’s future. The freshman sensation has better odds (+290) to stay at Duke rather than declaring for the Draft. Now, take this with a grain of salt because offshore sportsbooks are rarely tapped into what is actually going on in the sport. They can put odds on everything and anything.
The next closest odds are for him to be drafted by the Charlotte Hornets, the Washington Wizards, and the Utah Jazz, each with odds of plus-550 to pick him in the 2025 NBA Draft.
While it’s rare for a freshman of Flagg’s talents and skill to return to college after a sensational season, the growing impact of NIL could make him stay. His choices could also be dictated by the teams at the top of the draft order.
Flagg’s Mom Doubles Down After Criticism
In the second half of the game against North Carolina, Flagg dunked over one of the defenders, which prompted his mother to go on a curse-laden smack-talking spree with her husband by her side. As the clip of her celebration started to go viral, fans began to call her out for her behavior.
On Sunday, instead of apologizing politically correctly, Flagg’s mother, Kelly Bowman Flagg, decided to double down in a lengthy Facebook post.
“They continued to harass us with much worse being spewed in our direction as well as our 18 year old son and his teammates throughout the entirety of the game,” she wrote.
“The celebration was a moment of being so proud of our kid and also a big F-you to the entire Carolina fan base for being such classless a-holes. If you are a UNC fan and didn’t like it… tough! Better luck next time! Go Duke.”
After leading his team to a 28-win regular season, Flagg is set to achieve success in the postseason as well. The Blue Devils will compete in the upcoming ACC Tournament and NCAA Tournament as March Madness continues to grip the nation.