Duke basketball’s Cooper Flagg, the projected No. 1 pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, is a finalist for a national award that Blue Devil fans can help the freshman win.
If Flagg wins the award, he would be the second Blue Devil to be honored, joining Wendell Moore Jr. (2022). The Julius Erving Award, which was created in 2015, has been won by three Villanova players and two Gonzaga players. Tennessee’s Dalton Knecht was announced as the 2024 winner on April 6 last year.
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The award is selected by committee, but fans can do their part to make their voices heard in the selection process. Here’s everything you need to know if you’d like to vote for Flagg.
How to vote for Duke basketball’s Cooper Flagg for Julius Erving Award
Fan voting opened March 7. Fans can cast a ballot at hoophallawards.com/men/vote.php, but are only allowed to vote once per day. According to a release, fan voting will be counted as one committee vote during the selection process.
Auburn’s Chad Baker-Mazara, Kentucky’s Jaxson Robinson, Rutgers’ Ace Bailey and St. John’s wing RJ Luis Jr. join Flagg as finalists for the Julius Erving Award. The winner will be announced at the end of March or early April on a yet-to-be-determined date.
Cooper Flagg stats
Flagg and the second-ranked Blue Devils (27-3, 18-1 ACC) play at rival UNC (20-11, 13-6) on Saturday (6:30 p.m., ESPN) at the Smith Center in Chapel Hill. Entering that matchup, Flagg is averaging 19.6 points, 7.5 rebounds and 4.2 assists per game. He’s started in each of Duke’s 30 games, leading the team in points (587), rebounds (226), assists (125), steals (47) and blocks (35). According to EvanMiya’s metrics, Flagg is the top-rated overall player in the country, including the No. 2 defender in the nation.
Rodd Baxley covers Duke, North Carolina and N.C. State for The Fayetteville Observer as part of the USA TODAY Network. Follow his ACC coverage on X/Twitter or Bluesky: @RoddBaxley. Got questions regarding those teams? Send them to rbaxley@fayobserver.com.
This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: Duke basketball fans can vote for Cooper Flagg’s Naismith nomination
