Maine’s Cooper Flagg Reportedly Made $28 Million, Before Playing a Single NBA Game

College sports are not exactly amateur anymore.

Over the last few years, there has been a shift at the college level: players are now allowed to earn money from their own image and likeness, commonly known as NIL.

No longer are schools and corporations the only ones making millions of dollars while players are left with no guarantees for their future.

Is the system perfect? Of course not. But it's only been a few years, so there's no question that more regulation will be coming in the future.

Plus, America is a free market, so let the kids get paid what they're worth. And that’s exactly what’s happening.

This includes Newport, Maine native Cooper Flagg, who just finished his career at Duke University. Flagg is projected to be the No. 1 pick in the upcoming NBA Draft, which will make him one rich dude. However, it's safe to say he's already there.

How Much Money did Cooper Flagg Make in NIL Money?

According to sports reporter Howard Bryant, Flagg made a whopping $28 million in NIL money. Bryant, speaking on a recent podcast with Bob Costas, said the money came from two major sources: a $15 million shoe deal with New Balance and a $13 million deal with the brand Fanatics.

Now, it's likely those deals were structured for a potential four-year college career, but since Flagg only played one season, well, it turned out to be a very lucrative year.

This is simply staggering to read. When the idea of NIL first emerged, I’m not sure anyone expected it to reach this scale. However, it makes sense from a company’s  perspective. One would imagine that both New Balance and Fanatics have positioned themselves well to be long-term partners with Flagg, which is a smart move, considering he’s a generational talent.

But still, $28 million is wild. That’s more than double what the best NHL player, Connor McDavid, made last season. It’s $10 million more than the entire 2024 payroll of the New England Revolution. He made $8 million more than Derrick White of the Boston Celtics. It’s more money than Tom Brady ever made in a single year with the New England Patriots. I think you get the point.

Did Cooper Flagg Actually Make More than $28 Million in NIL Money?

I wonder if it's actually more than $28 million. As incredible as that number is, I would imagine he got some sort of deal from Duke boosters to choose the Blue Devils. As great as the other deals are, I doubt either company stipulated that he had to play for Duke. So, I’d guess he took home over $30 million to play just one year at Duke. Again, pure speculation, but it would make sense if he had some sort of financial support connected to the university.

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These are mind-blowing numbers, but we’re talking about professional sports. And make no mistake about it: big-time college sports have been professional from a revenue perspective for decades. For example, CBS Sports paid $8.8 BILLION for the exclusive rights to broadcast the NCAA Tournament.

I, for one, love seeing the kids get paid. Good for you, Cooper.