“Gatorade signs Duke Basketball’s Cooper Flagg to NIL deal.”

Gatorade is expanding its already extensive portfolio with another well-known athlete.

Duke first-year basketball player Cooper Flagg has agreed to a name, image and likeness deal PepsiCoAccording to an announcement Tuesday, it belonged to Gatorade. Flagg is expected to be the first overall draft pick in the 2025 National Basketball Association Draft and already has NIL contracts with brands like New Balance and New Era.

“This was a big year for me on and off the field, and Gatorade was there the entire time,” Flagg said in a press release. “From being named Gatorade Male Player of the Year to officially joining the team, having my name mentioned alongside some of the biggest names in basketball was unreal. The Gatorade squad is iconic and I look forward to working with them as I take this next step.

Under the agreement, Gatorade will use Flagg for its marketing. Terms of the deal, like Flagg's others, are not being disclosed.

Flagg is the latest example of how the college sports landscape is already dramatically different than it was before 2021. Since the approval of NIL contracts, college athletes have been able to capitalize on endorsement deals in ways they never could before.

Players like Flagg, a highly touted prospect and likely NBA star, were able to land NIL deals, some reportedly worth millions of dollars.

Flagg is Gatorade's first men's college basketball athlete, joining women's college basketball stars like Paige Bueckers of the University of Connecticut and JuJu Watkins of the University of Southern California, as well as college football stars like Shedeur Sanders of Colorado to.

“Cooper is an incredible talent who has quickly become one of the best young athletes in the country, and we know he has a bright future ahead of him,” Jeff Kearney, global head of sports marketing for Gatorade, said in a statement. “At Gatorade, we work with the best of the best, so we are proud to welcome Cooper to the family and look forward to supporting him as he begins his college career.”

Flagg signed all zero deals before playing in a college basketball game, which counts for a season record. Duke plays its first regular season game on Monday against Maine.