All Concerning the Duke Basketball Star’s Dad and mom and Siblings

Basketball is a Flagg household pastime.

Duke College basketball star Cooper Flagg’s mother and father, Kelly Bowman Flagg and Ralph Flagg, are each former school basketball gamers and went on to lift three sons who love the game.

Kelly and Ralph have been married because 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 household in Newport, Maine, and the boys performed basketball within the driveway any likelihood they might.

“We could not play a recreation in our driveway with out somebody bleeding,” Ace advised New Middle Maine in April 2025. “The sport would finish when somebody ran in yelling for mother, nevertheless it was at all times enjoyable.”

These days, Ace, a three-time highschool state champion, has dedicated to the College of Maine, and Cooper, who’s projected to be the No. 1 general choose within the 2025 NBA Draft, has had a formidable freshman season at Duke College.

The Blue Devils are at the moment vying for an NCAA title and can face the Houston Cougars on April 5 within the Remaining 4.

“[Cooper is] the most effective child. That is all I can say, is he is only a good particular person and boy. I’m very, very pleased with him,” Kelly advised PEOPLE in March 2025.

Here is every thing to find out about Cooper Flagg’s household, together with his mother and father, Kelly and Ralph, and his two brothers, Hunter and Ace.

Kelly and Ralph performed school basketball 

Cooper is the product of two school basketball gamers.

Kelly performed for the College of Maine within the late ’90s. She and her 1998–99 season teammates made UMaine ladies’s basketball historical past after they received this system’s first-ever NCAA event recreation, upsetting Stanford College.

In 2021, the workforce was inducted into the college’s Sports activities Corridor of Fame. “It was a particular time! So proud and honored!” Kelly wrote on X forward of the ceremony.

As for Ralph, he performed basketball for Japanese Maine Neighborhood School.

The couple met shortly after school and bonded over their love of basketball. Once they performed one-on-one, Ralph advised ESPN that he could not cease her up-and-under transfer.

“She was fairly lethal with that,” he advised the outlet in 2024. “And a fierce competitor.”

Kelly and Ralph welcomed 4 youngsters, together with Cooper

Ralph and Kelly wed within the early 2000s and began a household.

Kelly turned pregnant with twins, however problems arose when, at 24 weeks, she went into untimely labor. The pair welcomed sons Hunter and Ryder on Aug. 4, 2004. Ryder died two days later, and Hunter was within the neonatal intensive care unit for 109 days.

The Flaggs lived in Newport, Maine, on the time — 90 minutes from Maine Medical Middle in Portland, the place Kelly had given beginning. So, the brand new mother stayed on the native Ronald McDonald Home till Hunter was wholesome sufficient to go house.

“I by no means left Portland,” she advised tuscon.com. “After Hunter was born, I stated, ‘I’m not leaving with out him.’ Being three minutes away as an alternative of an hour and a half was big.”

Ralph and Kelly finally determined to have extra youngsters. After a number of cycles of IVF, Kelly turned pregnant once more with twins. The pair welcomed Ace and Cooper on Dec. 21, 2006.

Cooper grew up within the gymnasium with Ralph 

At a younger age, Cooper confirmed immense promise on the basketball court docket. He obtained his first school basketball scholarship provide in eighth grade, per Bangor Every day Information, and skipped his senior yr of highschool to attend Duke.

Cooper has uncooked expertise, however he advised Blue Satan Nation in January 2025 that his dad has at all times performed an enormous half in his progress as a basketball participant.

“Getting again within the gymnasium with my dad [is how I stay ready],” he stated. “I grew up within the gymnasium with my dad. Late nights, early mornings, with him simply rebounding for me.”

Ace has dedicated to the College of Maine, the place Hunter attends faculty

Cooper’s brothers have additionally seen some basketball success over time.

In 2022, Hunter, Ace and Cooper performed on the identical workforce at Nokomis Regional Excessive Faculty in Maine, and the trio led the squad to a state championship.

Two years later, Ace helped his workforce at Montverde Academy in Florida safe a state championship, and most lately, he led Greensboro Day Faculty in North Carolina to a state title in February 2025.

“I am pleased with him,” Cooper stated throughout a press convention shortly after Greensboro’s huge win. “[Ace] bought three state championships in three completely different states by means of his highschool profession, in order that’s fairly cool.”

Ace will proceed his basketball profession on the College of Maine — the place Hunter is at the moment working towards a level in sports activities administration, per LinkedIn.

Kelly and Ralph are superstitious 

Kelly and Ralph are their sons’ largest followers — they usually take their basketball superstitions very significantly.

In March 2025, Kelly advised PEOPLE that she has to sit down in the identical seat for each recreation and Ralph “cannot put on spirit gear on recreation days.”

“I like to sit down by the identical particular person or in the identical seating order,” she defined, including, “[Ralph], on recreation days, he wears something however Duke gear.”

Kelly and Ralph went viral on the 2025 ACC Match

In the course of the ACC Match in March 2025, Cooper made a two-handed dunk towards Duke’s largest rival, the College of North Carolina. The group went wild — together with Kelly, who was seen patting the highest of her head in celebration and yelling, “On his head. On his f—— head!”

Footage of Kelly’s pleasure within the stands went viral on social media, and many individuals thought her actions had been in unhealthy style. She later took to Fb and semi-apologized.

“I wish to apologize to anybody who was offended by my language that was caught in a celebratory second. I do notice that it wasn’t my greatest look,” Kelly wrote earlier than including, “[It was] a second of being so pleased with our child and in addition an enormous F-you to your complete Carolina fan base for being classless a-holes.”

“If you’re UNC fan and didn’t prefer it…robust,” she continued. “Go Duke.”