Cooper Flagg signs shoe endorsement deal with New Balance

Cooper Flagg has signed a significant endorsement deal with New Balance, an athletic apparel company that has established a strong connection with his home state of Maine in recent years.

“The connection with New Balance as a family company and a company with Maine roots means a lot to me,” Flagg said in an ESPN article published Monday morning. “That makes this really different and special. My mom used to go to the tent sale for back-to-school shopping there when we were kids. That really aligns the brand with my roots. It’s a perfect fit.”

It is unclear how much the endorsement deal is worth, and for how long the basketball star — whose NIL value at Duke University is estimated at $1.4 million — is signed to the company. Flagg’s agent declined to comment on Monday morning.

At the University of Maine’s flagship campus in Orono, New Balance has already extended gifts of $5 million and $7 million to the University of Maine, in exchange for naming rights to the New Balance Field House, Track & Field and Soccer Complex and Student Recreation and Fitness Center for 20 years apiece.

In 2023, the company added a $65 million renovation to its Skowhegan-based footwear manufacturing plant, doubling the factory’s capabilities. The Boston-based company also has manufacturing facilities in Norway and Norridgewock.

At Duke, Nike has been the exclusive outfitter of the men’s basketball team since 1992 and is signed through 2027 creating a potential conflict of interest come November.

“All Duke student-athletes are required to wear Nike footwear and apparel for any team activities, including all practice and competition, per the agreement with Nike,” Duke Athletics said in an email on Monday.

Flagg personally announced the endorsement deal Monday morning with an Instagram post featuring a New Balance commercial that was filmed in downtown Orono and Bangor in early August. The location is labeled as Flagg’s home town of Newport, Maine at the start of the commercial.

In the commercial, Flagg picks up a newspaper labeled “The Maine Daily News” with a New Balance logo and the headline “Cooper Flagg, The Intelligent Choice” strewn across the front page.