“Looks like a hell of a player,” said Kevin Durant about 17-year-old Cooper Flagg. The basketball prospect swiftly proved his worth in a scrimmage with a 3-pointer over Anthony Davis, a putback layup over Bam Adebayo, and a turnaround jumper over Jrue Holiday. Mind you, we’re talking about Paris Olympic-headed veterans here. Flagg, on the contrary, hadn’t even played his first college game yet.

Flagg’s rise to the ranks caught the world’s attention in 2022 as he became the youngest to win the USA Basketball’s Male Athlete of the Year since 1980. To top that, he also became the first freshman to be named the Maine Gatorade Player of the Year, averaging 20.5 points, 10.0 rebounds, 6.2 assists, 3.7 steals and 3.7 blocks per game. Despite such heavy praises, there was one thing the youngster was lacking—the ability to cash in on his brand—while his competitor literally thrived.

After the NIL (Name, Image, Likeness) laws were implemented on July 1, 2021, Flagg couldn’t earn NIL income due to his association with Florida-based institutions (that prevented athletes from leveraging on NIL deals). LeBron James‘ second oldest son, Bryce, on the other hand, was all about maximizing his potential until a watershed moment pointed out his inferiority to Flagg.

But before we get to that, let’s tell you how NIL works. As per On3, categories including a player’s influence, exposure (social media authority), Deal Data and performance are used to calculate their Roster Value and NIL, which in turn combine to form the NIL valuation.

Currently, Bryce James, #1 on the HS Basketball NIL Rank, and #15 on the NIL 100, has a NIL valuation of $1.3 million. The prodigy is way ahead of his competitor, Kiyan Anthony. Yet he loses ground to Flagg, also #1 on the College Basketball NIL Rank and #12 on the NIL 100, with a $1.5 million valuation. As per ON3, James’ NIL, on Thursday, saw an increase of $125K as he touched the $1.3 million mark. Though the latest venture taken up by Bryce is still unknown, it has helped him edge closer to Flagg.

Notably, he Duke Blue Devils player eclipsed James for the first time on April 25 this year, taking his NIL value to $1.4 Million. Previously, Bryce’s NIL was at $1.2 Million whereas Flagg was stationed at $1.1 million but all that changed within days of Flagg’s deal with the Creative Artists Agency for NIL representation. The agency based out of Los Angeles has a reputed list of clients, including stalwarts such as Paul George and Devin Booker. Hence, capitalizing on the agency’s experience, Flagg next got into an agreement with New Balance and launched an endorsement with them.

All these latest developments bumped up his Name, Image, and Likeness.

The Duke Blue Devils commit currently occupies the twelfth place in the NIL 100, and is only looking to grow his value with more deals. However, it is to be noted that Bryce has trumped Flagg by a heavy margin in the social media influencing race. And hence, it is clear that Flagg’s latest deals have played a major role in him being at the forefront.

Can Bryce James defeat Cooper Flagg?

Being Lebron James son sure has its perks, especially when it comes to popularity. Bryce has a social media following of 3.4 million, 2.1 million followers on Instagram, 1.3 million on TikTok, and 17.5K on X. Currently, data about his per post value on Instagram is unavailable, but looking at his following, the teenager doesn’t have much to worry about. Meanwhile, Flagg has 818K followers on Instagram, 49K on TikTok, and 22k on X.

As of now, the only way Bryce can certainly outweigh Flagg is if he can find lucrative endorsement deals to build his brand. His social media engagement will also be a primary factor, helping him boost his earnings. But considering Flagg’s near future, the path can be a difficult one.

Flagg signing a deal with New Balance is just the beginning. Since his winning the 2022 FIBA U17 Basketball World Cup, Flagg is projected as the number one pick in the 2025 NBA draft. Taking note of the fact, he will be plying his trade at the college level, inviting more deals. Therefore, Bryce might not be able to advance Flagg.