Duke University superstar Cooper Flagg officially announced his participation in the NBA draft and is widely expected to become the No. 1 pick in the 2025 draft.

The university announced on social media on Monday that the 18-year-old forward will go straight to the professional arena after his freshman season. Flagg has performed brilliantly this season, not only leading Duke University to the NCAA Final Four, but also becoming the fourth freshman in the history of the Associated Press to win the "College Player of the Year" award.

Flagg is from Newport, Maine. He is 6 feet 9 inches (about 206 cm) tall and weighs 205 pounds (about 93 kg). He averaged 19.2 points, 7.5 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 1.4 blocks and 1.4 steals per game this season. His comprehensive statistics show his dominance on both offense and defense.

Head coach Jon Scheyer praised Flagg for "having one of the best freshman seasons in Duke history," with outstanding performances on both offense and defense, and emphasized that Flagg's selfless spirit as a teammate was the most valuable.

In January, Flagg broke the ACC freshman scoring record by scoring 42 points against Notre Dame, and then posted 30 points, 6 rebounds and 7 assists in the NCAA tournament Sweet 16 against Arizona.

In the national final four, Duke lost to the University of Houston, and Flagg contributed 27 points and 7 rebounds. Despite this, Flagg was one of the most dominant and competitive players in college basketball throughout the season, showing a maturity far beyond his years.

Due to his outstanding performance, Flagg has become one of the most anticipated rookies in this draft. Flagg is also the third player from Duke University to declare for the NBA draft recently after Kon Knueppel and Tyrese Proctor.