The Daily News

Cooper flag was born in December of 2006 in Newport, Maine now being only 19  years old. Cooper’s family have deep ties in the basketball world and in his early years he was immersed in the basketball lifestyle. His mother, Kelly Flagg was a standout basketball player at the University of Main and his father, Ralph Flagg coached basketball at Nokomis Regional High School in Newport. Last but not least, Cooper has a twin brother, Ace Flagg who also was a standout player in high school.

 In High school, Cooper gained attention as he was extremely versatile as he defend multiple positions and scored efficiently. He also stood out for his basketball IQ, defensive instincts, and competitiveness. Even as a Freshman, Cooper Flagg played for the varsity high school team where his father coached, Nokomis Regional High School.

Aside from varsity high school teams, Cooper was also a part of the Main United AAU Basketball team. An AAU circuit is a series of tournaments and events where elite youth teams travel and compete against other top teams—often across different states. He benefitted from the AAU Team by being in front of scouts as scholarships and , being able to play with the top talent in the nation and played fast paced games to improve abilities in the season. His performances against older competition helped him gain national recognition early in his high school career. Some key traits that were noticed while he was still in High School was elite shot-blocking and defense, advanced court vision and passing, high motor and intensity and leadership despite his age.

Cooper Flagg attended Duke University and played for the Duke Blue Devils men’s basketball in 2024 and 2025. In 2026, he declared that he was going to the NBA Draft instead of returning to Duke as a Sophomore. His reasons are that he’s one of the top prospects in the country for basketball, likely to be picked very early (possibly No. 1 overall), because many players with his level of talent tend to play college only one year before going to the NBA.

He was selected #1 overall in the 2025 NBA Draft by the Dallas Mavericks. Cooper Flagg is projected to play as a forward for the Dallas Mavericks, specifically a small forward / power forward hybrid as a starter. Throughout the season, Dallas has used him frequently in the starting lineup — sometimes even in unconventional roles (like initiating the offense) — demonstrating the team’s trust in his abilities as a rookie.

His contract duration with the Dallas Mavericks includes playing for 4 years, while earning $62.7 million over the course of the contract. Flagg has shown his charitable side by donating to the Ronald McDonald house and attending a tennis charity event for the Dirk Nowitzki’s foundation.