Duke Blue Devils standout Cooper Flagg is putting together a historic freshman season. The 18-year-old forward leads the team in points (18.7), rebounds (7.5), assists (4.2), steals (1.4), blocks (1.3), and minutes per game (30.1). His impressive performance has earned him numerous accolades, including ACC Player of the Year, ACC Rookie of the Year, ACC All-Defensive Team, ACC All-Freshman Team, and a first-team All-ACC selection, along with being a consensus first-team All-American.
Duke announced that Flagg had added another prestigious honor to his resume—the Oscar Robertson Trophy, awarded annually by the United States Basketball Writers Association to the National Player of the Year. The Duke men’s basketball X account celebrated the achievement, posting: “GOT THE NPOTY ON OUR SQUAD.”
Flagg is the first Duke player to win the award since Zion Williamson in 2019 and only the third Blue Devil to receive the honor, following Shane Battier and Jason Williams, who won in consecutive years in 2000 and 2001.
After recovering from an ankle injury, Flagg helped lead Duke to a dominant 93-49 victory over Mount St. Mary’s in their NCAA Tournament opener on Friday. He then delivered an 18-point, nine-rebound performance in Duke’s 89-66 second-round win over Baylor on Sunday, despite taking a hit to the eye that briefly raised concerns among fans. Addressing the issue after the game, Flagg reassured everyone, saying, “Yeah, I’m all good. My eye feels pretty good right now.”