Cooper Flagg’s family is 100-percent behind him as he prepares for his biggest basketball game to date. But if you think his mother is lacking for confidence, her promise ahead of the game should make it clear that she’s not.
In an interview with Lindsay Schnell of The Athletic, Kelly Flagg declared that WHEN Duke “win the whole thing,” she intends to get a commemorative tattoo. She even said that Cooper can pick where the tattoo will go (as long as it’s not her face.
“If we win the whole thing— I shouldn’t say if, I don’t like that word— when we win the whole thing, then we will get a tattoo to commemorate,” Kelly Flagg said. “I’ll get a tattoo anywhere.
“He can pick the spot, except my face, if they do what they need to do.”
If there’s anyone that can ensure that she keeps that pledge though, it’s her son Cooper. On Friday, he was voted the Associated Press’ national men’s basketball player of the year. Flagg became just the fourth freshman in history to win the prestigious award.
“It fills us both with an immense amount of pride in all that he has accomplished,” Mrs. Flagg told Andy Katz yesterday. “When we think he’s reached a certain level, he always kind of breaks through the ceiling and goes to the next level.”
CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA – MARCH 13: Kelly Flagg, mother of Cooper Flagg #2 of the Duke Blue Devils, looks on during the quarterfinal round of the ACC men’s basketball tournament against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets at Spectrum Center on March 13, 2025 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Photo by Jacob Kupferman/Getty Images)
Jacob Kupferman/Getty Images
Flagg has led Duke in scoring (18.9 points per game), rebounds (7.5 per game), assists (4.2 per game) and steals (1.4 per game) and is second in blocks (1.3 per game) ahead of Duke’s Final Four clash with Houston later today.
The Blue Devils have gone 35-3 this year with Flagg leading the team in scoring over a dozen times throughout the regular season. He’s been just as good in the NCAA Tournament, with arguably his best performance being a 30-point, seven-rebound game against No. 21 Arizona in the Sweet 16.
He’s arguably the biggest reason that Duke are in their first Final Four of the Jon Scheyer era and just two wins away from their first national title in a decade.
