In less than 24 hours, the world will have its next basketball superstar, with Cooper Flagg set to be taken first overall in the 2025 NBA Draft.
Sitting atop draft boards for at least the last two years, Flagg will find himself as the top pick by the Dallas Mavericks, heading to Texas to play alongside a win-now team featuring the likes of Anthony Davis and Kyrie Irving.
To honour this upcoming event, New Balance - who signed Flagg back in 2024 - declared June 25 'Flagg Day', celebrating the man they see as the next face of the NBA.
June 25 declared 'Flagg Day' by New Balance
New Balance look set to celebrate their incoming NBA star in a massive way, declaring the day before the NBA Draft 'Flagg Day', an event that sees them tie in merch, as well as a promotional video.
The video sees Flagg walk out while his extensive list of accomplishments play, a collection of awards and honours befitting a player many expect to be an eventual league MVP.
While the brand already has a presence in basketball, represented by names like Darius Garland, Tyrese Maxey, and Cameron Brink, Flagg represents a new era for the Boston-based company, who will gear their entire approach in the sport around the soon-to-be Dallas Maverick.
"I think Cooper Flagg is going to be really important for us in connecting with the younger consumer and the way the brand shows up," New Balance SVP, Asia Pacific Middle East and Africa Darren Tucker told Sporting News Australia recently.
"We've had athletes, basketball athletes, but we haven't really had one that's cut through the way we need it to cut through to make a difference."
Flagg has drawn plenty of praise ahead of the draft, with four-time MVP LeBron James saying he thinks the rookie will be 'amazing'.
"I personally think that he wants to be great," James said on his podcast Mind the Game.
"He had a hell of a year at Duke. A guy that can do so many different things out on the floor. Can play with the ball, can play without the ball. His jump shot is going to continue to get better. Super athletic, quick second jump.
"He has the benefit, unlike myself, he gets to join a team that's established with Hall of Fame guys - Klay Thompson, Anthony Davis, Kyrie Irving - right off the bat.
"Hall of Fame coach, Jason Kidd. You know, these guys are like, they can give him the whole blueprint while he continues to learn what his blueprint will be.
"I think that will be an incredible thing to have that type of presence, that type of leadership, that type of just basketball IQ and knowledge around him every single day from those pieces, so I think he's going to be amazing."
The NBA Draft is set to begin at 9 a.m. AEST, and Australian fans can catch it on ESPN via Foxtel or Kayo.