Cooper Flagg draft class: When is Duke basketball signee eligible for NBA draft?
With the 2024 NBA Draft Lottery in the books, many fans might wonder when heralded prospect Cooper Flagg is eligible for the NBA draft.
The Duke basketball signee, considered one of the top draft prospects in recent seasons — despite not playing a college game yet — won't be in the 2024 draft class. However, he is likely to join their ranks soon.
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Flagg is the unanimous No. 1-ranked player in the 2024 recruiting class, according to 247Sports' Composite rankings and via On3, which likewise lists rankings from other outlets. He is one of four five-star signees signed to the Blue Devils' class for next season.
The 6-foot-9 forward attends Montverde Academy in Montverde, Florida, which has produced NBA stars such as Joel Embiid, Cade Cunningham, Scottie Barnes, RJ Barnett and others. Here's when Cooper Flagg is eligible for the NBA draft:
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When is Cooper Flagg eligible for the NBA draft?
The earliest Flagg will be eligible to be drafted by the NBA is in 2025, after one season of college basketball at Duke. According to the NBA's latest Collective Bargaining Agreement, players must meet a certain number of prerequisites to be draft-eligible.
Per the NBA CBA, "the player (A) is or will be at least nineteen (19) years of age during the calendar year in which the draft is held, and (B) ... at least one (1) NBA Season has elapsed since the player’s graduation from high school. ..." Apart from that, Flagg must also be "attending or previously attended a four-year college or university in the United States," a prerequisite he would meet by attending and playing at Duke.
Flagg was originally supposed to be in the 2025 recruiting class, but reclassified to 2024. With his 18th birthday in December 2024, he will be eligible for the 2025 draft, as he will turn 19 during the same calendar year of the 2025 NBA draft.
Flagg, who's likely to be a one-and-done college player and is expected to be among the top consideration for the No. 1 pick, will, of course, still need to flash his potential at Duke in order to leave college early for the 2025 NBA Draft, the first draft for which he'd be eligible.
The NBA allowed high schoolers to enter the draft from 1995-2005, but introduced the "one-and-done" rule ahead of the 2006 season after players such as LeBron James, Kobe Bryant and Kevin Garnett were selected without attending college.
Cooper Flagg 2025 NBA Draft mock
ESPN projects Flagg will be the first overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, according to draft expert Jonathan Givony. Flagg is joined by fellow five-star prospect Ace Bailey, a Rutgers signee, at the top of the class.
Cooper Flagg stats
2023-24 stats: 16.5 points, 7.5 rebounds, 3.8 assists per game with 1.6 steals and 2.7 blocks per game
This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: Cooper Flagg draft class: When is Duke signee eligible for NBA draft?
