Duke star Cooper Flagg is headed to the NBA as the favorite to be the No. 1 overall draft pick.

The program announced Flagg’s move in a social media post Monday following a lone college season that saw the 18-year-old become only the fourth freshman named as The Associated Press national player of the year while leading the Blue Devils to the Final Four.

Flagg had reclassified to get to Duke a year early, and his decision was expected all year, even as he generally declined to spell out plans about his professional future as the season pushed into March or mentioned how much fun he had playing in college.

The 6-foot-9, 205-pound forward from Newport, Maine, averaged 19.2 points, 7.5 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 1.4 blocks and 1.4 steals to lead the Blue Devils in each category.

NCAA sets table for schools to pay players directly >> The NCAA passed rules that would upend decades of precedent by allowing colleges to pay their athletes per terms of a multibillion-dollar lawsuit settlement expected to go into effect this summer.

The nine proposals passed by the NCAA board were largely expected but still mark a defining day in the history of college sports. An athlete’s ability to be paid directly by his or her university is on track to be enshrined in a rulebook that has forbidden that kind of relationship for decades.

For the NCAA rules to officially go into effect, the changes prescribed by the House settlement still have to be granted final approval by a federal judge, whose hearing earlier this month led to questions about potential tweaks before the new guidelines are supposed to go into play on July 1.

Running

Boston Marathon >> Sharon Lokedi of Kenya broke the Boston Marathon course record by more than 2 1/2 minutes, outkicking two-time defending champion Hellen Obiri a year after losing to her in one of the closest finishes in race history.

Fellow Kenyan John Korir recovered from a starting line fall to join his brother as a race champion — the first relatives to win the world’s oldest and most prestigious annual marathon in a history that dates to 1897.

Lokedi finished in 2 hours, 17 minutes, 22 seconds and broke the course record of 2:19:59 set by Buzunesh Deba in 2014. Korir finished in 2:04:45 — the second-fastest winning time in Boston history.

NBA

Hawks fire GM Fields, promote Saleh >> Landry Fields was fired as general manager of the Atlanta Hawks after three seasons, with the team missing the playoffs in the last two of those.

The Hawks promoted Onsi Saleh to the GM role, while also announcing that they have opened a search for a president of basketball operations. Atlanta went 40-42 this season, then missed the playoffs after going 0-2 in the play-in tournament.

Bucks upgrade Lillard to questionable >> Milwaukee’s Damian Lillard is listed as questionable for Game 2 of the Bucks’ first-round playoff series with the Indiana Pacers, another step forward for the seven-time All-NBA guard after missing the past month.

The Bucks had announced Thursday that Lillard was off blood-thinning medication and cleared for full basketball activity after dealing with deep vein thrombosis in his right calf.

NFL

Eagles, Pro Bowl center Jurgens agree to a 4-year extension >> The Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles and Pro Bowl center Cam Jurgens have agreed to a four-year contract extension through 2029.

The 25-year-old Jurgens made the Pro Bowl for the first time last season following a switch back to center after six-time All-Pro Jason Kelce retired. Jurgens was a backup as a rookie in 2022 after being drafted out of Nebraska in the second round and made 11 starts at right guard in 2023.