Nike's socials take subtle shot at $4.8M NIL-worth Cooper Flagg and New Balance with 4-word reaction in deleted post

It is no secret that Cooper Flagg's New Balance deal poses somewhat of an issue for the young guard as a Duke Blue Devil. Duke's affiliation with Nike often puts Flagg in a predicament as a loyal representative of his preferred brand.

Something similar happened after the Blue Devils' Sweet 16 game against the Arizona Wildcats as the 18-year-old was caught in a crossfire between the shoe brands. Nike supposedly took a little bit of a dig at New Balance after the Blue Devils’ 100-93 win yesterday.

After Flagg finished the game with 30 points, six rebounds, and seven assists, in what was a memorable night for Duke, Nike's social media account decided to make a controversial claim.

Flagg, who now has reached a NIL evaluation of $4.8M according to ON3, had to wear the Nike Kobe 6 Protro in the "Sail - All-Star" colorway as the program has a deal with Nike, which stipulates that all Duke players must play in the brand’s shoes.

Nike's socials took this opportunity to comment on a picture of Flagg after the game:

"Powered by the Swoosh"

The post sent social media into a frenzy as Nike was seen here forcefully attaching their name to a player signed by a rival brand. The popular brand, however, soon deleted the controversial post.

Flagg's New Balance deal was signed in August of 2024, months before he started his first season with Duke. But the guard now has to wait until he moves to the NBA before he can wear his preferred brand's shoes during games.

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Cooper Flagg addressed the New Balance and Nike clash

NCAA Basketball: NCAA Tournament East Regional-Arizona at Duke - Source: Imagn

Flagg addressed the supposed conflict of interest on Wednesday prior to the game against Arizona.

“Obviously, I love New Balance and I would love to wear their shoe,” Flagg said. “But we’re in a situation where Duke is with Nike, obviously. So just respecting the rules that are in place and kind of what we have to follow.”

The Duke star is a long-term investment for NB. So they are probably not that worried about him wearing Nike shoes in college.

Fans can expect to see the freshman in a Nike shoe once again when the No. 1 Blue Devils (34-3) face No. 2 Alabama Crimson Tide (28-8) in an Elite Eight matchup later today at 8:49 p.m ET.