Cooper Flagg Becomes Youngest-Ever AP Men’s Player of the Year

The Duke forward's dominance has the Blue Devils back in the Final Four.

Cooper Flagg is interviewed before the Final Four. / Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

Duke forward Cooper Flagg has had a season to remember, and on Friday he was rewarded accordingly.

Flagg has been named the AP Men's Player of the Year, the organization announced Friday afternoon. The 18-year-old is the youngest man ever to win the award, and the fourth freshman to win it after Texas forward Kevin Durant in 2007, Kentucky center Anthony Davis in 2012, and Duke forward Zion Williamson in 2019.

The award comes on the eve of the Blue Devils' first men's Final Four game since 2022 against Houston, and their first such game without ex-coach Mike Krzyzewski since 1978.

Flagg averaged 18.9 points, 7.5 rebounds and 4.2 assists per game this season—numbers that underscored the extent to which he controlled games. He led the ACC in a spate of advanced metrics, including win shares, player efficiency, and defensive rating.

The Newport, Maine native (he'd be only the third NBAer from that state) is widely expected to be the first name called in June's NBA draft.

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