The 6-9, 225-pound freshman topped Duke in points (709), rebounds (278), assists (155), steals (52) and blocks per game (1.4), and ranked among the ACC’s top-10 in four of the five major statistical categories – scoring (3rd), rebounding (9th), assists (8th) and blocked shots (6th). He garnered both ACC player and rookie of the week honors in the same week five times this season, becoming the first player in ACC history to sweep the conference weekly awards more than twice. His 12 ACC Rookie of the Week citations set a new conference record.
Flagg became the youngest player in NCAA history to post a 40-point game when he broke the Duke and ACC freshman single-game scoring records with 42 points versus Notre Dame on Jan. 11, and registered the first NCAA Tournament performance with at least 30 points, seven assists, six rebounds and three blocks in Duke’s Sweet 16 victory over Arizona on March 27, en route to being named East Region Most Outstanding Player.
Flagg finished the season named as National Player of the Year by five of the six organizations recognized by the NCAA, taking home the honor from the United States Basketball Writers Association (USBWA), National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC), the Associated Press (AP), Wooden and Naismith. Flagg also swept the ACC Player and Rookie of the Year awards and was Duke’s first consensus First Team All-American since Zion Williamson and RJ Barrett in 2019.
The No. 1 overall pick by the Dallas Mavericks in last month’s 2025 NBA Draft, Flagg tabulated 41 votes for the McKevlin Award, leading Miami’s Cam Ward (four) and NC State’s Vincent Robinson (three).
Flagg’s award is the 12th claimed by the Duke men’s basketball program — surpassing North Carolina men’s basketball for the most by one team, and first since Williamson earned the honor in 2019.
Gretchen Walsh of Virginia’s women’s swimming program won the Mary Garber Award as the ACC’s top female athlete in 2024-25.
The ACC Athlete of the Year Awards are given in memory of distinguished journalists. McKevlin was a sports editor of the Raleigh (N.C.) News and Observer, while Mary Garber, of the Winston-Salem (N.C.) Journal, was a pioneer as one of the first female sports journalists in the nation.
Most McKelvin Awards, by Institution
17 | Duke
15 | North Carolina
10 | Virginia
Most McKelvin Awards, by Team
12 | Duke Men’s Basketball
11 | North Carolina Men’s Basketball
4 | Wake Forest Men’s Basketball