LOS ANGELES, Calif. (April 5, 2025) – Duke University freshman Cooper Flagg has been named the 2025 John R. Wooden Award® winner, presented by Principal, as released by Wooden Award Chairman Sam Laganà and The Los Angeles Athletic Club. The announcement was made today during ESPN’s SportsCenter GameDay broadcast. The live “John R. Wooden Awards Show presented by Principal” will stream on ESPN+ on Friday, April 11 at 8 p.m. EDT / 5 p.m. PDT.
Freshman forward Cooper Flagg has lived up to the hype this season as the No. 1 recruit in the 2024 class, averaging 18.9 PPG, 7.5 RPG, and 4.2 APG. Flagg was selected as the 2025 John R. Wooden Award® winner over Auburn’s Johni Broome by a margin of 178 votes. Duke University has now produced the most Wooden Award winners, with a total of eight; Flagg joins an elite group of esteemed recipients, including Zion Williamson (2019) and JJ Redick (2006), among others.
Voting took place from March 11–24, 2025, by a national panel of voters composed of sportswriters and sportscasters from across the country, along with former Wooden Award® winners. As insisted upon by Coach Wooden at the award’s creation in 1976, all players considered for the ballot were certified by their universities as meeting or exceeding the academic criteria of the John R. Wooden Award®. Deloitte tabulated all ballots and certified the results, ensuring strict adherence to established voting procedures.
Cooper Flagg will join Coach Mark Few, the Wooden Award® Legend of Coaching recipient, and Juju Watkins, the Wooden Award® Women’s honoree, as the celebrated winners of the nation’s most prestigious collegiate basketball awards. They will be joined by their coaches and members of the Wooden Award All-America™ Top 5 Finalists at the Los Angeles Athletic Club for the “John R. Wooden Awards Show presented by Principal,” streaming on ESPN+ on Friday, April 11 at 8 p.m. EDT / 5 p.m. PDT.
About the John R. Wooden Award®
Founded in 1976, the Los Angeles Athletic Club’s John R. Wooden Award Program™ represents the highest honor in college basketball. It recognizes the Wooden Award® Most Outstanding Player for both men and women, the Wooden Award All America™ Teams, and annually selects the Wooden Award®
Legend of Coaching recipient. Past Wooden Award winners include some of the greatest names in basketball history: Larry Bird (’79), Michael Jordan (’84), Tim Duncan (’97), Kevin Durant (’07), Candace Parker (’07, ’08), Maya Moore (’09, ’11), Breanna Stewart (’15, ’16), and the most recent winners, Caitlin Clark of Iowa (’23, ’24) and Zach Edey of Purdue (’23, ’24).
Since its inception, the John R. Wooden Award® has contributed nearly one million dollars in charitable donations in the names of its All America Team members and has provided more than 1,000 underprivileged children with scholarships to week-long college basketball camps. Wooden Award All America™ Team members are also invited to celebrate their philanthropic efforts, with the John R. Wooden Award Foundation making contributions in support of their charitable initiatives. The John R. Wooden Award Foundation (JRWAF), a non-profit organization, is dedicated to supporting and overseeing the John R. Wooden Award programs. Its mission is to promote teamwork, academic excellence, and character development. JRWAF serves as the primary resource provider for the Wooden Award’s philanthropic efforts and offers comprehensive guidance and support for award administration. Additionally, the John R. Wooden Award® partners annually with Special Olympics Southern California (SOSC) to host the Wooden Award® Special Olympics Basketball Day. This event brings together Special Olympics athletes, Wooden Award All America™ Team members, and coaches during Wooden Award® Weekend at the Los Angeles Athletic Club. The 2025 Wooden Award® Legend of Coaching presented by Principal, honoree is Mark Few of Gonzaga, who will receive his award alongside the 2025 Wooden Award All America™ Team and Men’s and Women’s Players of the Year at the Los Angeles Athletic Club on Friday, April 11, 2025. “John R. Wooden Awards Show presented by Principal” streaming on ESPN+ on April 11th at 8pm EDT / 5pm PDT.
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For more information about Principal Financial Group and its sponsorship activities, visit their Sports Partnerships and Sponsorships page. To learn more about the Los Angeles Athletic Club, visit www.LAAC.com.
ALEK PETROSSIAN
Manager
John R. Wooden Award®
Alek.Petrossian@laac.net
SAM LAGANÀ
Chairman
John R. Wooden Award & Foundation
SLagana@WoodenAward.com