Newport, Maine native Cooper Flagg now officially has a home in the NBA after being selected first overall in the draft Wednesday night by the Dallas Mavericks.
Flagg came in as a heavy favorite to be the first pick after being the consensus college player of the year, playing for the Duke Blue Devils.
He led Nokomis High School to the state basketball championship in 2022, when he was named USA Basketball’s Male Athlete of the Year.
Flagg’s selection as the top NBA pick comes as Governor Janet Mills declared Wednesday “Cooper Flagg Day” in Maine.
He was interviewed on the Today Show this week, where he said “my mind will be going a million miles an hour” when he’s announced as a pick in the draft.
“I’m just going to try and be present, enjoy the moment as much as I can,” Flagg said.
According to Sportrac, Flagg is expected to sign a rookie deal worth $62.7 million for three years.
He could be on track to become one of the first athletes in history to have a billion-dollar career in contracts alone, as Sportrac projects him earning $930 million by age 31.
