Cooper Flagg #2 of the Duke Blue Devils during the SentinelOne Classic game on February 22, 2025 in New York City ; Kelly Flagg and Ralph Flagg watch their twin sons Cooper and Ace play for Montverde Academy on January 5, 2024 in Portland Maine. Photo:
Evan Bernstein/Getty ; Andrew Dickinson for The Washington Post via Getty
Basketball is a Flagg family pastime.
Duke University basketball star Cooper Flagg’s parents, Kelly Bowman Flagg and Ralph Flagg, are both former college basketball players and went on to raise three sons who love the sport.
Kelly and Ralph have been married since the early 2000s and welcomed their first son, Hunter, in 2004. (His twin, Ryder, died two days after being born.) Two years later, Cooper and his twin brother, Ace, arrived. The couple raised their family in Newport, Maine, and the boys played basketball in the driveway any chance they could.
“We couldn’t play a game in our driveway without someone bleeding,” Ace told New Center Maine in April 2025. “The game would end when someone ran in yelling for mom, but it was always fun.”
Nowadays, Ace, a three-time high school state champion, has committed to the University of Maine, and Cooper, who is projected to be the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, has had an impressive freshman season at Duke University.
The Blue Devils are currently vying for an NCAA title and will face the Houston Cougars on April 5 in the Final Four.
“[Cooper is] the best kid. That’s all I can say, is he’s just a good person and a good boy. I am very, very proud of him,” Kelly told PEOPLE in March 2025.
Here’s everything to know about Cooper Flagg’s family, including his parents, Kelly and Ralph, and his two brothers, Hunter and Ace.
Cooper Flagg, Kelly Flagg and Ralph Flagg attend the 2024 ESPY Awards on July 11, 2024 in Hollywood, California. Kevin Mazur/Getty
Cooper is the product of two college basketball players.
Kelly played for the University of Maine in the late ’90s. She and her 1998–99 season teammates made UMaine women’s basketball history when they won the program’s first-ever NCAA tournament game, upsetting Stanford University.
In 2021, the team was inducted into the school’s Sports Hall of Fame. “It was a special time! So proud and honored!” Kelly wrote on X ahead of the ceremony.
As for Ralph, he played basketball for Eastern Maine Community College.
The couple met shortly after college and bonded over their love of basketball. When they played one-on-one, Ralph told ESPN that he couldn’t stop her up-and-under move.
“She was pretty deadly with that,” he told the outlet in 2024. “And a fierce competitor.”
Cooper Flagg while answering questions with his dad Ralph, brother Ace and mom Kelly on December 12, 2024 in Durham, North Carolina. Ethan Hyman/The News & Observer/Tribune News Service via Getty
Ralph and Kelly wed in the early 2000s and started a family.
Kelly became pregnant with twins, but complications arose when, at 24 weeks, she went into premature labor. The pair welcomed sons Hunter and Ryder on Aug. 4, 2004. Ryder died two days later, and Hunter was in the neonatal intensive care unit for 109 days.
The Flaggs lived in Newport, Maine, at the time — 90 minutes from Maine Medical Center in Portland, where Kelly had given birth. So, the new mom stayed at the local Ronald McDonald House until Hunter was healthy enough to go home.
“I never left Portland,” she told tuscon.com. “After Hunter was born, I said, ‘I’m not leaving without him.’ Being three minutes away instead of an hour and a half was huge.”
Ralph and Kelly eventually decided to have more children. After several cycles of IVF, Kelly became pregnant again with twins. The pair welcomed Ace and Cooper on Dec. 21, 2006.
Cooper Flagg takes a Polaroid photo of his dad Ralph, brother Ace and mom Kelly after a holiday gathering on December 12, 2024 in Durham, North Carolina. Ethan Hyman/The News & Observer/Tribune News Service via Getty
At a young age, Cooper showed immense promise on the basketball court. He received his first college basketball scholarship offer in eighth grade, per Bangor Daily News, and skipped his senior year of high school to attend Duke.
Cooper has raw talent, but he told Blue Devil Nation in January 2025 that his dad has always played a big part in his growth as a basketball player.
“Getting back in the gym with my dad [is how I stay ready],” he said. “I grew up in the gym with my dad. Late nights, early mornings, with him just rebounding for me.”
Twins Cooper (L) and Ace Flagg high-five during the game against CATS Academy Boston at Portland Expo. Ben McCanna/Portland Press Herald via Getty
Cooper’s brothers have also seen some basketball success over the years.
In 2022, Hunter, Ace and Cooper played on the same team at Nokomis Regional High School in Maine, and the trio led the squad to a state championship.
Two years later, Ace helped his team at Montverde Academy in Florida secure a state championship, and most recently, he led Greensboro Day School in North Carolina to a state title in February 2025.
“I’m proud of him,” Cooper said during a press conference shortly after Greensboro’s big win. “[Ace] got three state championships in three different states through his high school career, so that’s pretty cool.”
Ace will continue his basketball career at the University of Maine — where Hunter is currently working toward a degree in sports management, per LinkedIn.
Kelly Flagg and Ralph Flagg watch their twin sons Cooper and Ace play for Montverde Academy on January 5, 2024 in Portland Maine. Andrew Dickinson for The Washington Post via Getty
Kelly and Ralph are their sons’ biggest fans — and they take their basketball superstitions very seriously.
In March 2025, Kelly told PEOPLE that she has to sit in the same seat for every game and Ralph “can’t wear spirit gear on game days.”
“I like to sit by the same person or in the same seating order,” she explained, adding, “[Ralph], on game days, he wears anything but Duke gear.”
Cooper Flagg’s mom Kelly Flagg ; Cooper Flagg #2 of the Duke Blue Devils looks on during a game on March 03, 2025 in Durham, North Carolina. ESPN/Tiktok; Grant Halverson/Getty
During the ACC Tournament in March 2025, Cooper made a two-handed dunk against Duke’s biggest rival, the University of North Carolina. The crowd went wild — including Kelly, who was seen patting the top of her head in celebration and yelling, “On his head. On his f—— head!”
Footage of Kelly’s excitement in the stands went viral on social media, and many people thought her actions were in bad taste. She later took to Facebook and semi-apologized.
“I want to apologize to anyone who was offended by my language that was caught in a celebratory moment. I do realize that it wasn’t my best look,” Kelly wrote before adding, “[It was] a moment of being so proud of our kid and also a big F-you to the entire Carolina fan base for being classless a-holes.”
“If you are UNC fan and didn’t like it…tough,” she continued. “Go Duke.”
