Cooper Flagg

Flagg was born in Newport, Maine, and grew up in a basketball family. His mother, Kelly, was a University of Maine basketball captain, while his father, Ralph, played basketball at Eastern Maine Community College. His fraternal twin brother, Ace, and older brother, Hunter, also played basketball.

Flagg and Ace relocated with their family from Newport to Florida after transferring to Montverde Academy. Growing up in New England, Flagg supported the Boston Celtics.

Flagg began his high school career at Nokomis Regional High School in Newport. As a freshman, he became the first player at that stage to win the Maine Gatorade Player of the Year award after averaging 20.5 points, 10 rebounds, 6.2 assists, 3.7 steals and 3.7 blocks per game. He led Nokomis to the Class A state championship, scoring 22 points and collecting 16 rebounds in a 43-27 victory over Falmouth High School.

After transferring to Montverde Academy in Florida, Flagg became one of the leading prospects in American basketball. He was selected for the 2024 McDonald's All-American Boys Game and earned Gatorade National Player of the Year, Mr. Basketball USA and Naismith Prep Player of the Year honors. During his final high school season, he averaged 16.4 points, 7.5 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 2.7 blocks per game while leading Montverde to a perfect 34-0 record and a national title.

Flagg reclassified to the 2024 recruiting class after his sophomore year. He received NCAA Division I scholarship offers while still in eighth grade, and he ultimately became the highest-rated recruit in his class before committing to Duke.

Flagg enrolled at Duke University in June 2024 and made his college debut against Maine on November 4, 2024, recording 18 points, seven rebounds, five assists and three steals. His most notable regular-season performance came against Notre Dame on January 11, 2025, when he scored 42 points, six rebounds and seven assists. The performance established freshman scoring records for both Duke and the Atlantic Coast Conference.

He averaged 19.2 points, 7.5 rebounds and 4.2 assists per game during his only college season. Flagg helped Duke win the ACC regular-season title with a 19-1 conference record and received ACC Player of the Year and ACC Rookie of the Year honors. He also earned consensus first-team All-American recognition and major national player-of-the-year awards, including the Naismith and Wooden awards.

A sprained ankle forced Flagg to miss the remainder of the ACC tournament, but he returned for the NCAA tournament. He scored 30 points against Arizona in the Sweet 16 and finished Duke's Final Four loss to Houston with 27 points, seven rebounds, three blocks and two steals. He entered the 2025 NBA draft after the season, giving up his remaining college eligibility.

The Dallas Mavericks selected Flagg with the first overall pick in the 2025 NBA draft and signed him on July 2, 2025. He started his NBA regular-season debut as a point guard and primary ball handler, recording 10 points and 10 rebounds against the San Antonio Spurs.

Flagg quickly set several age-related scoring and playmaking marks. He tied LeBron James as the youngest player to score at least 25 points in an NBA game, became the youngest player to record 10 assists in a game, and scored 35 points against the Los Angeles Clippers to become the youngest player to reach that total. He later became the youngest NBA player to score 40 points in a game, recording 42 against the Utah Jazz.

Flagg followed those performances with a 49-point game against the Charlotte Hornets and a 51-point game against the Orlando Magic. The 51-point performance made him the youngest player in NBA history to score at least 50 points and the first teenager to reach that mark. He was named NBA Rookie of the Year and selected to the NBA All-Rookie First Team.

Flagg represented the United States at the 2022 FIBA Under-17 Basketball World Cup. He averaged 9.3 points, 10 rebounds, 2.9 blocks and 2.4 steals per game as the United States won the gold medal, and he was selected to the All-Tournament Team after recording 10 points, 17 rebounds, eight steals and four blocks in the final against Spain.

His performance made him the youngest recipient of the USA Basketball Male Athlete of the Year award. In 2024, Flagg was invited to join the USA Select Team, becoming the first college player invited to the group in more than a decade. During a scrimmage against the United States Olympic team, he scored as many as 17 points while facing players including LeBron James, Anthony Edwards and Stephen Curry.