"NIL money changes the game": College hoops fans react as Cooper Flagg wants to refuse potentially a $400 Million payday

Duke freshman sensation Cooper Flagg said in an interview with The Athletic last week that he plans to return to Durham next season. The projected No. 1 pick in the 2025 NBA draft could be giving up an enormous payday in order to play another season of college basketball.

On Tuesday, Front Office Sports reported on X, formerly Twitter, that Flagg could be delaying a potentially $400 million payday by not going pro after this season ends.

Hoops fans reacted to the Cooper Flagg news, with a mix of surprise and admiration. Here are some of the comments on the post:

"Lol well NIL money changes the game to make this more feasible," one fan wrote.

"Is Cooper really ducking the Washington Wizards that hard? 😆," another quipped.

"Nothing like that college atmosphere, Also nothing like earning $100s of millions of dollars before 21," a fan commented.

"Enter the portal young man duke can’t pay you the nil you deserve," one user suggested.

More fans weighed in:

"Smart. Squeeze the league for more bread, lord knows this boy is blockbuster," another fan said.

"lol this is comical. He isn’t going that. He will go to the draft and be the 1 pick," a user chimed in.

Cooper Flagg in history books, setting new ACC statistical milestones

Cooper Flagg has been a key driver behind No. 3 Duke’s success this season as they continue to surge toward their first Atlantic Coast Conference regular-season title since 2022.

With the win over Virginia on Monday, the Blue Devils improved to 23-3 overall and 15-1 in the ACC, occupying the top spot in the league standings.

Flagg's performance on Monday was enormously impressive, as he grabbed a career-high 14 boards to go with his 17 points on 8-of-16 shooting from the field.

His all-around stat line put him in a rare company in ACC history. According to the ACC Network, Flagg is now the first player in the conference with at least 500 points, 100 assists, and 30 blocks in the regular season over the past quarter-century.

Not to mention, the 6-foot-9 forward, has also touched 200 career rebounds for the Blue Devils.

Here's a closer look at Cooper Flagg's stat line after 26 games:

• Points: 511 (19.7 ppg)
• Rebounds: 201 (7.7 rpg)
• Assists: 103 (4.0 apg)
• Steals: 42 (1.6 spg)
• Blocks: 31 (1.2 bpg)

Flagg and the Blue Devils will look to continue their winning ways as they travel to New York to face Illinois on Saturday.