After his very first NCAA Tournament game, Duke freshman Cooper Flagg sat behind a table for his press conference — along with coach Jon Scheyer and guard Tyrese Proctor. Paper cups labeled with of one of March Madness’ sponsors, Powerade, were placed in front of the athletes. Flagg, a spokesman for the rival sports drink Gatorade, subtly — but intentionally — moved the cup out of the way. “He’s well-trained,” Duke general manager Rachel Baker exclusively shared. Flagg, Gatorade’s first and only men’s college basketball spokesman, is clearly taking that distinction seriously. The 18-year-old Flagg has a multi-year — but not lifetime contract — with the brand that will extend well into his NBA career. He’s part of Gatorade’s nationally-televised campaign running through March Madness, which also features women’s players Paige Bueckers, Gatorade’s first college basketball sponsor, and JuJu Watkins, and launched on March 17. “Seeing Coop in Gatorade,” Duke guard Sion James said, “it’s just cool to turn on the TV and see your teammates. It’s a special thing.” Gatorade’s “The Take” ad campaign focuses on how Flagg, Bueckers and Watkins overcome the noise, hype and distractions to win in big moments. MORE FOR YOUFBI Warning As iPhone, Android Users ‘Bombarded’ By Chinese AttackGoogle Pixel’s Unbeatable Upgrade—All Other Phones Left BehindGoogle Confirms User Data Deletion Error—Who Is Impacted, What To Do In his first NCAA Tournament moment, Flagg showed no ill effects from the ankle injury he suffered during the first game of the ACC Tournament. He only played 22 minutes in the 93-49, blowout win against Mount St. Mary’s, but he made an impact early, assisting on an alley-oop dunk to Khaman Maluach and scoring on an and-one in the first two minutes. Gatorade also locked onto Flagg, the 2023-24 Gatorade Best Male of the Player of the Year, early. Baker didn’t have to negotiate the deal with Gatorade because it was set up though Flagg’s agent, Austin Brown of CAA, before he even stepped foot on campus and then officially announced in late October of 2024. More than just Flagg’s multidimensional skillset, Gatorade viewed Flagg’s fiery competitiveness as a good fit for the brand. “He has the edge that we love to see,” Jeff Kearney, Gatorade’s global head of sports marketing, exclusively shared. “With all respect to Maine, I don’t think people look at that as like a basketball hotbed and I think he takes that attitude with him when he plays.” Even when he doesn’t play, Flagg is a good spokesman. The status of his ankle, which looked fine while he had 14 points, seven rebounds and four assists against Mount St. Mary’s, was one of the storylines of the opening weekend of the NCAA Tournament. But when he was sidelined with that ankle sprain for Duke’s third game against archrival North Carolina, Flagg wore a black sweatsuit — and notably had a Gatorade towel draped around his neck — for the nationally-televised ACC Tournament semifinal.Duke forward Cooper Flagg and forward Maliq Brown (in a sling) watch from the bench during the ... [+] second half of the semifinals of the ACC Tournament. (AP Photo/Chris Carlson)Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved “It was a proud moment,” Kearney said. Asked after his first NCAA Tournament press conference about moving the cup of Powerade, which is owned by rival Coca-Cola, while Gatorade is owned by Pepsi, Flagg smiled, showing his loyalty to the brand. Being a Gatorade Player of the Year is not a prerequisite for an athlete to be a spokesperson for Gatorade — nor does being at a school like Duke, which is one of the more than 60 NCAA schools that has a partnership with Gatorade for all of its sports. But Duke’s deal with Gatorade obviously does further showcase Flagg with the product. And the fact that the school is in Durham, N.C., also helps because the state of North Carolina allows its college athletes to have sponsorships that extend beyond his time at Duke. Flagg also endorses two other major companies — New Balance and AT&T — and he’s appeared in nationally-televised ads for them during March Madness as well. “He wants to focus on basketball. So it has to be a big-time deal for him to even consider it,” Baker said. “Sometimes they’re too big to turn down.” With a star-studded endorsement roster including NBA champion Jayson Tatum, reigning NFL MVP Josh Allen and, of course, Hall of Famer Michael Jordan, Gatorade is as big as it gets for an athlete. “The Take” is the only planned Gatorade advertisement for Flagg, but more likely will come well into his NBA career. “This is just the beginning of his journey,” Kearney said.

How Duke Star Cooper Flagg Became The New Face Of Gatorade

“He wants to focus on basketball. So it has to be a big-time deal for him to even consider it,” Baker said. “Sometimes they’re too big to turn down.” With a star-studded endorsement roster including NBA champion Jayson Tatum, reigning NFL MVP Josh Allen and, of course, Hall of Famer Michael Jordan, Gatorade is as […]

“He wants to focus on basketball. So it has to be a big-time deal for him to even consider it,” Baker said. “Sometimes they’re too big to turn down.”

With a star-studded endorsement roster including NBA champion Jayson Tatum, reigning NFL MVP Josh Allen and, of course, Hall of Famer Michael Jordan, Gatorade is as big as it gets for an athlete.

“Seeing Coop in Gatorade,” Duke guard Sion James said, “it’s just cool to turn on the TV and see your teammates. It’s a special thing.”

“He has the edge that we love to see,” Jeff Kearney, Gatorade’s global head of sports marketing, exclusively shared. “With all respect to Maine, I don’t think people look at that as like a basketball hotbed and I think he takes that attitude with him when he plays.”

Asked after his first NCAA Tournament press conference about moving the cup of Powerade, which is owned by rival Coca-Cola, while Gatorade is owned by Pepsi, Flagg smiled, showing his loyalty to the brand.
After his very first NCAA Tournament game, Duke freshman Cooper Flagg sat behind a table for his press conference — along with coach Jon Scheyer and guard Tyrese Proctor.

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And the fact that the school is in Durham, N.C., also helps because the state of North Carolina allows its college athletes to have sponsorships that extend beyond his time at Duke.
He’s part of Gatorade’s nationally-televised campaign running through March Madness, which also features women’s players Paige Bueckers, Gatorade’s first college basketball sponsor, and JuJu Watkins, and launched on March 17.
The status of his ankle, which looked fine while he had 14 points, seven rebounds and four assists against Mount St. Mary’s, was one of the storylines of the opening weekend of the NCAA Tournament.
“This is just the beginning of his journey,” Kearney said.
“The Take” is the only planned Gatorade advertisement for Flagg, but more likely will come well into his NBA career.