Cooper Flagg signs latest endorsement deal with Gatorade

BASKETBALL

Another company has joined Cooper Flagg's growing list of sponsors: Gatorade is the latest big name to partner with the basketball phenom.

According to ESPN, Gatorade announced the partnership on Tuesday, making him the first male college basketball player to sign with the sports drink giant.

Flagg was named the Gatorade National Boys Basketball Player of the Year in March. The deal is just the latest endorsement for the Newport native; New Balance was the first to sign him in August, and New Era came on board in early September.

Flagg will play his first official college game on Monday when Duke hosts UMaine.

In two preseason games, he averaged 15.5 points, 4.5 assists and 2 blocks.

Flagg told ESPN that he tried to remain humble given the endorsements and hype that surrounded his high school career and commitment to Duke.

“It just comes down to just staying grounded and staying where my feet are and focusing on the present and where I am,” he said. “Whether it's focusing on a day where we're practicing, having class… Whatever I'm doing, I just try to stay present and really just focus on the moment.”

Since Flagg left Nokomis Regional High after leading the Warriors to the 2022 Class A championship as a freshman, his profile has skyrocketed. He thrived at Montverde Academy in Florida, becoming the top high school prospect in the country. He was also named USA Basketball Male Athlete of the Year after leading Team USA to victory at the 2022 FIBA ​​U17 World Championship.

He is currently expected to be the top pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, which will take place in June.

NBA: Joel Embiid and Paul George are 0-4 on the 76ers season.

Embiid and George's season debuts remain on ice for the Philadelphia 76ers, and both players will miss Wednesday's game against Detroit because of knee injuries.

Embiid and George participated in portions of practice on Tuesday and their playing status will be reassessed later in the week.

Sixers coach Nick Nurse declined to elaborate on her health status and potential timeline for returning to the lineup.

ICE HOCKEY

PWHL: The six-team Professional Women's Hockey League is beginning its expansion process and plans to add up to two franchises at the start of the 2025-26 season, a league executive announced.

Amy Scheer, senior vice president of business operations, said at the ESPNW Summit in New York that the league will begin sending RFPs to multiple markets while accepting applications as early as next week.

U.S. expansion candidates include Detroit and Pittsburgh, where the PWHL hosted neutral-site games in its inaugural season last year. Washington, D.C. and Philadelphia would also be considered candidates, having both been considered before the league fielded teams in Boston, New York and Minnesota. Denver and Seattle are also considered potential candidates.

In Canada, where the league has teams in Toronto, Ottawa and Montreal, Quebec City has already announced its intention to be a candidate for an expansion franchise. Calgary would be a potential option, as the city was already home to the Inferno from 2011 to 2019 before the Canadian Women's Hocky League folded.

COLLEGES

FOOTBALL: Michigan quarterback Jack Tuttle is retiring from football after suffering a fifth concussion.

Tuttle made the announcement on social media Monday night, citing a series of injuries that have curtailed his college career. He said he never fully recovered from the ligament damage in his throwing arm.

• West Virginia fired defensive coordinator Jordan Lesley. Inside linebackers coach Jeff Koonz will replace Lesley for the remainder of the season, coach Neal Brown said.

West Virginia's injury-plagued secondary has struggled all season. The Mountaineers are giving up 9.3 yards per pass, worst in the Big 12, and their 17 touchdown passes allowed are second-worst.

MEN'S BASKETBALL: South Florida introduced Ben Fletcher as interim basketball coach, saying he was the right man to lead the Bulls following the death of Amir Abdur-Rahim.

Fletcher, a close friend of Abdur-Rahim who helped the late coach turn around struggling programs at Kennesaw State and USF, vowed to help grieving players cope with the loss and set a new standard of success at the school American Athletic Conference.

Abdur-Rahim, 43, died Thursday from complications that occurred during a procedure at a Tampa-area hospital.

TENNIS

PARIS CHAMPIONS: Sixth seed Andrey Rublev lost two tiebreakers and lost his temper as his hopes of qualifying for the ATP Finals suffered a setback.

Rublev faced Francisco Cerundolo in the second round and lost 7-6 (6), 7-6 (5) after a match that lasted more than two hours. Rublev became so frustrated at one point in the second set that he hit his racket against his left knee at least seven times in a row. Video footage showed the eruption caused bleeding in the knee.

The Russian player took the eighth and final qualifying spot in the race for the season-ending ATP Finals and could be overtaken by his rivals this week.

Top seed Jannik Sinner withdrew citing a virus.

The Italian player, guaranteed to finish the year as No. 1, said in a message sent by organizers that he would not be able to play this week.

FOOTBALL

MLS: Atlanta United will be without midfielder Edwin Mosquera for the remainder of the Eastern Conference first-round series against Inter Miami after he underwent meniscus surgery on his left knee.

Atlanta United has a must-win game at home on Saturday night after losing 2-1 to Inter Miami in the opening game of the best-of-three series on Friday night.

Inter Miami also lost a player in Game 1 due to a knee injury. The team announced Saturday that defenseman Ian Fray will undergo surgery to repair his meniscus.

• Felipe Carballo scored his first goal for New York in the 25th minute and the Red Bulls defeated the Columbus Crew 1-0 in the opening game of the best-of-three series.

New York won an away game during the MLS Cup playoffs for the first time since 2017. It was also the Red Bulls' first postseason win in Columbus after four straight losses.

The Red Bulls host Columbus on Sunday.

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