Cooper Flagg is the name on everybody’s lips. The Duke starlet has been lighting it up all season, carrying Duke on his back. Touted as the top prospect in the 2025 draft, Cooper Flagg has made sensational headway all season. NBA insiders and Sports Illustrated pegged the Utah Jazz as the frontrunner to land him after the play‑in tournament.

Yesterday, Flagg confirmed in a viral Instagram video that he’s officially entering the 2025 NBA draft. The announcement sent shockwaves through March Madness chatter—quelling lottery‑pick rumors and refocusing every mock draft on one thing: Flagg. But one analyst has something else lingering on his mind.

Stephen A. Smith, after hearing the news, praised Cooper Flagg on First Take at ESPN, but then shortly began a monologue speaking of his game in the final four. He said, “The only blemish on his career is, there was four times that he had a chance to win a game and he failed. All four times, you know, but that’s just the last play, the game-winning shot. That happens.. You certainly miss more than you make. Even the greatest of them all has done that.”

Here, Stephen A. Smith is talking about the final four game against Houston, where with Duke leading by one and under 20 seconds remaining, Flagg was called for an over-the-back foul while contesting a rebound against Houston’s J’Wan Roberts. Roberts converted both free throws, giving Houston a 68-67 lead. Then, on the ensuing possession, Duke put the ball in Flagg’s hands. He created space for a mid-range jumper but missed, clanking the shot off the front rim. Houston secured the rebound and added two more free throws, sealing a 70-67 win and ending Duke’s season

Bringing to the table a 19.2 PPG, 7.5 RPG freshman season and both Wooden and Naismith honors, Flagg’s on‑court prowess is undisputed—but now the question shifts to how he’ll rebound from his Final Four falter as he enters the NBA Draft.

As Cooper Flagg has declared himself in the NBA draft, his time with the Duke Blue Devils comes to an end. Upon that, the Duke team wished him luck and bid him farewell, let us check it out.

Duke bids farewell to Cooper Flagg

Duke officially bid farewell to Cooper Flagg on social media today, and man, it hit hard. Seeing the clips, the highlights, and the thank-you messages just brought it all full circle. The official page of Duke basketball shared a post with a picture of Cooper Flagg, captioning it, “League next. Duke forever. Thank you @Cooper_Flagg.”

 It’s wild to think that his time in Durham is already over. One season, and yet it feels like he’s been part of Duke basketball forever. From the second he put on that jersey, Cooper played with the kind of fire and poise that made it clear: this kid was different. The performances against Arizona and Alabama in March Madness? Legendary. And through it all, he made it look like he was built for the biggest moments.

The stats and awards only tell part of the story. Sure, he was the AP National Player of the Year, ACC Player and Rookie of the Year, and a record-setting 12-time ACC Freshman of the Week. He locked down both ends of the floor, led by example, and seemed to make everyone around him better. But it was more than that. It was the energy he brought, the way he carried himself, and how much pride he took in wearing Duke across his chest. 

He wasn’t just the best player on the court, he was the standard. Coach Jon Scheyer said, in a poignant message to him, “Really proud of Cooper for the special season that he’s had this year. You know the accolades speak for itself with what he did, winning every national player of the year award. His highlights, his statistics, how he impacted the game on both ends of the floor, really in every category, was off the charts…..The separator and joy of coaching Cooper was the person that he was and the teammate that he was.”

Now, as Cooper heads into the next chapter of his journey, there’s this bittersweet feeling hanging in the air.