For the second straight year, the ESPY Awards brought some more acclamation for Cooper Flagg.
Flagg, a Newport native and Dallas Mavericks rookie, was named the Best College Athlete in Men’s Sports at the ESPYs on Wednesday night following his freshman season at Duke. Last year, he was named the Gatorade Male Athlete of the Year at the annual show.
Flagg, a former Nokomis Regional High standout as a freshman, is the first basketball player to win the award since 2016, when Buddy Hield took it after his senior year at Oklahoma.
Flagg’s first and only year at Duke became the talk of the nation in college basketball. He led the Blue Devils in points, rebounds, assists, blocks and steals, finishing with averages of 19.2 points, 7.5 rebounds and 4.2 assists per game. He won the Wooden Award as the best player in college basketball while leading Duke to the Final Four.
The performance led to Flagg, 18, being selected first overall by the Mavericks at the NBA Draft in June. According to Spotrac, Flagg’s four-year rookie deal with Dallas is in the range of $62.7 million.
We invite you to add your comments. We encourage a thoughtful exchange of ideas and information on this website. By joining the conversation, you are agreeing to our commenting policy and terms of use. More information is found on our FAQs. You can modify your screen name here.
Comments are managed by our staff during regular business hours Monday through Friday as well as limited hours on Saturday and Sunday. Comments held for moderation outside of those hours may take longer to approve.
Join the Conversation
Please sign into your CentralMaine.com account to participate in conversations below. If you do not have an account, you can register or subscribe. Questions? Please see our FAQs.