Gatorade signs Duke basketball’s Cooper Flagg to NIL deal

Gatorade is adding another big-name athlete to its already loaded portfolio.

First-year Duke men’s basketball player Cooper Flagg has agreed to a name, image and likeness deal with PepsiCo-owned Gatorade, according to a Tuesday announcement. Flagg is projected to be the first overall draft pick in the 2025 National Basketball Association Draft and already has NIL deals with brands including New Balance and New Era.

“This has been a big year for me on and off the court, and Gatorade has been there the whole way,” Flagg said in a news release. “From being named the Gatorade Best Male Player of the Year to now officially joining the team, it’s been surreal to have my name mentioned with some of the biggest names in basketball. The Gatorade roster is iconic, and I’m excited to work with them as I take this next step.”  

As part of the deal, Gatorade will use Flagg in its marketing. Terms of the deal, like Flagg’s others, are undisclosed.

Flagg is the latest example of what is already a dramatically different college sports landscape than what existed prior to 2021. Since the approval of NIL deals, college athletes have been able to capitalize on endorsement deals in ways they never could before.

Players like Flagg, a highly touted prospect and likely NBA star, have been able to net NIL deals, some of them reportedly worth millions of dollars.

Flagg is Gatorade’s first men’s college basketball athlete, joining women’s college basketball stars such as University of Connecticut’s Paige Bueckers and University of Southern California’s JuJu Watkins as well as collegiate football stars such as Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders.

“Cooper is an incredible talent who quickly emerged as one of the best young athletes in the nation, and we know he has a bright future ahead of him,” said Jeff Kearney, global head of sports marketing at Gatorade, in a statement. “At Gatorade, we work with the best of the best, so we’re proud to welcome Cooper to the family and are excited to be fueling him as his collegiate career begins.”

Flagg has inked his NIL deals all before playing in a college basketball game that counts toward a season record. Duke plays its first regular-season game Monday against Maine.