From Maine to fame: Five fun facts about Cooper Flagg, the next big thing in basketball

Over the past year, Cooper Flagg has been weaving his way into becoming a household name for basketball fans.

After rising through the recruiting ranks to become the No. 1 player in the 2024 national basketball class, Flagg added to his hype by choosing to play his presumed one year of college ball for the polarizing Duke Blue Devils. Flagg is projected to be the first pick in the 2025 NBA Draft. 

This summer, he’s fanning the flames even more with the impressive showing he’s having as a member of the 2024 USA Men’s Basketball Select Team. His all-around play against some of the best basketball players in the world — Anthony Davis, LeBron James, Steph Curry and more — as they prepare for the Olympic games has created a few viral moments for Flagg. These trending plays further solidify Cooper as a budding superstar; there’s even a fun argument Flagg should have replaced Kawhi Leonard on Team USA as a nod to Christian Laettner. Flagg has been a frequent discussion on ESPN this week, including Pardon the Interruption. This is not normal for a soon-to-be-freshman (non-Bronny division). 

But who was Flagg before he burst onto the hoops zeitgeist? Well, unfortunately for any haters, the early Cooper Flagg lore only proves that he’s always been destined for greatness.

Flagg’s Maine hometown once threw a parade for him

Prior to moving to Florida to attend powerhouse high school, Montverde Academy, Flagg spent his freshman year in his home state of Maine, attending the local school, Nokomis Regional High School. The ninth-grader averaged 20.5 points, 10 rebounds, 6.2 assists, 3.7 steals and 3.7 blocks for Nokomis en route to winning the school’s first-ever high school state basketball championship. And in true championship fashion, the surrounding communities that Nokomis services threw Cooper a parade.

“The welcome that we had after the regional championship and the state…

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Author : Xavier Handy-Hamilton

Publish date : 2024-07-11 16:49:00

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