New Balance beats Nike to the punch and signs the expected first overall pick in 2025.
He may attend a Nike school in Duke, but thanks to the new world of college NIL deals, the projected first overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft has signed with another shoe brand. According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, he’s signing with New Balance.
New Balance has steadily expanded its roster of NBA stars in recent seasons, including former NBA champions Kawhi Leonard and Jamal Murray, as well as Tyrese Maxey, Zach Lavine, Dejounte Murray and WNBA star Cameron Brink.
In fact, you may have seen these and other athletes in New Balance’s latest commercial proclaiming that they’ve now made it.
Wojnarowski reports that New Balance’s connection to Flagg’s home state – the company has a manufacturing facility just 25 miles from his parents’ home – played a role for the future Duke star.
“The connection with New Balance as a family-owned company and company with roots in Maine means a lot to me,” Flagg said Wojnarowski“That’s what makes this really different and special. When we were kids, my mom would always go to the tent sale to buy school supplies. That really aligns the brand with my roots. It’s a perfect fit.”
While New Balance has become very popular for its silhouettes in the running category – especially mesh running shoes from the 2000s like the 1906, the I recently unboxed on the DraftKings Network X account — the brand is still trying to find its way into a basketball market dominated by Nike and Jordan Brand, with Adidas looking to make a strong showing thanks to the efforts of Anthony Edwards and his popular AE 1 signature model. That being said, the brand has made some good moves, signing Murray in his prime and signing up-and-coming stars like Maxey, Brink and Flagg. Nike and Jordan Brand have been accused by some in the sneaker community of Complacency and lack of innovationSo if there was ever a chance for other brands to break the Swoosh’s decades-long stranglehold on the basketball market, it’s now. It will be interesting to see if Flagg, Brink and other young talents can help New Balance break through.
On the pitch, Flagg and Duke are currently tied for the second best odds at DraftKings Sportsbook to win the national title at +1000, behind only the two-time national champion UConn Huskies. UConn currently has +900 odds to pull off a historic third straight win, and as an added conundrum, Flagg has picked the Blue Devils over the Huskies.
All odds provided by DraftKings Sports Betting and all odds are subject to change.
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