Cooper Flagg Has Signed An Exclusive Deal With Topps
Topps has made a major move by signing one of the most exciting college athletes of the past year, Cooper Flagg.
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In his first year at Duke, Flagg has taken the sport by storm and established himself as one of the most electrifying players in all of college basketball. Playing at Duke provides him with the high-level exposure necessary to potentially become a top-5 pick in the upcoming NBA Draft.
Before Jac Caglianone was drafted this past year by the Kansas City Royals in the first round, he was also a Topps athlete. He made history as the first college baseball player to sign an NIL deal with Topps.
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Flagg will be featured throughout the season in Topps Now cards, including special editions with patches and signatures. His first in-pack appearance is scheduled for the 2025 Bowman University Chrome set.
Topps has expanded its college strategy significantly since the introduction of NIL (Name, Image, and Likeness) deals. In 2021, they launched their first Bowman Chrome University basketball product, which was unlicensed at the time. By 2022, they released the fully licensed version, featuring the debut Bowman cards of stars like Victor Wembanyama and Caitlin Clark.
Meanwhile, Panini has also shifted its NIL strategy by including current college players in its Draft products. Flagg would have been one of the marquee players in those sets, but unfortunately, he will not appear in Panini’s products. This is reminiscent of Arch Manning's absence from Topps products.
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College cards have not been viewed as cards that collectors want for a number of different reasons. NIL has now given collectors the opportunity to collect cards of college players while they are in college which has been the biggest shift in the category.
Adam has been a sports content creator since 2016, initially focusing on creating sports-related graphics for his Instagram page. In 2018, he transitioned to writing and podcasting about sports cards. Since then, he has worked both independently and with companies within the industry, producing podcasts, videos, and written content on sports cards.