Image via Hameltion / Wikimedia Commons (CC0). Flagg with Duke at UNC, March 2025.
On Monday night, Cooper Flagg scored 43 points against the Indiana Pacers. He shot 16 of 25 from the field, grabbed 10 rebounds and handed out 6 assists as Dallas came back from 13 down to win 125–122. He is only the second teenager in NBA history to put up a 40-point, 10-rebound, 5-assist game. The first was Kevin Durant. Flagg is 19 years old, and he has been doing this kind of thing since he was a schoolboy in Maine.
His rise has been fast, even by basketball standards. A year ago he was playing college ball at Duke. Now he is the face of the Dallas Mavericks, the No. 1 pick in the 2025 draft, and the NBA's Rookie of the Year. Monday night was just the latest line in a season that keeps getting bigger.
A Maine kid with basketball in the blood
Flagg was born on 21 December 2006 in Newport, a small town in Maine. Basketball ran in the family. His mother Kelly played at the University of Maine from 1995 to 1999, and his father Ralph played at Eastern Maine Community College. He has a twin brother, Ace, and an older brother, Hunter.
He started at Nokomis Regional High School in Newport, then moved to Montverde Academy in Florida after his freshman year. Montverde is one of the best school programmes in America, and Flagg fitted straight in. He reclassified to the class of 2024, finished his final school season 34–0 with a national title, and was named Gatorade National Player of the Year in March 2024. By then every college in the country wanted him. He picked Duke.
| Quick Facts | Cooper Flagg |
|---|---|
| Full name | Cooper Flagg |
| Born | 21 December 2006, Newport, Maine (age 19) |
| Height | 6 ft 9 in at Duke; now listed at 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) |
| Parents | Ralph and Kelly Flagg, both former college players |
| Siblings | Twin brother Ace; older brother Hunter |
| College | Duke University, 2024–25 (one season) |
| Draft | No. 1 pick, 2025 NBA draft, Dallas Mavericks |
| Position | Forward |
| Honours | NBA Rookie of the Year 2026 |
One season at Duke
Image via Joe Loong / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 2.0). Flagg dunking for Duke against Wake Forest, March 2025.
Flagg needed just one year at Duke to do almost everything a college player can do. He played 37 games and averaged 19.2 points, 7.5 rebounds and 4.2 assists, shooting 48.1% from the field. He was named ACC Player of the Year and ACC Rookie of the Year in the same season — only the fourth player ever to win both — and he was the consensus National Player of the Year, winning the Wooden, Naismith, AP and USBWA awards. He led Duke to the Final Four, where they lost to Houston.
He left for the NBA after that one season, and nobody was surprised. Dallas took him first in the 2025 draft, and he was named NBA Rookie of the Year in April 2026.
The nights that made the record books
| Date | What happened |
|---|---|
| 15 December 2025 | 42 points against Utah, aged 18 years and 359 days — the youngest player ever to score 40 or more, passing LeBron James. |
| 29 January 2026 | 49 points, his second 40-point night of his rookie season. |
| 3 April 2026 | Career-high 51 points — the youngest 50-point scorer in NBA history. |
| 9 November 2026 | 43 points, 10 rebounds, 6 assists and 3 steals against Indiana — the second teenager ever with a 40-10-5 game, after Kevin Durant. |
Through his first 10 games of the 2026–27 season he was averaging around 25.9 points, 6.9 rebounds and 6.9 assists. The numbers keep climbing, and so does the attention. Monday's 43 came on the same night Victor Wembanyama scored 40 for San Antonio — the same Wembanyama who put up 52 points, 24 rebounds and 8 blocks against Dallas earlier in the season.
What comes next
Image via Joe Loong / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 2.0). Flagg at the free-throw line for Duke against Wake Forest, March 2025.
Flagg is still a teenager, and he is already the player Dallas builds around. The Mavericks are his team now, and the question is no longer whether he belongs in the league but how far he can take a franchise that has been waiting for its next star. The 43-point night against Indiana was his fourth 40-point game before his 20th birthday. He turns 20 on 21 December.
FAQs
How old is Cooper Flagg? He was born on 21 December 2006 in Newport, Maine. He is 19 years old.
How tall is Cooper Flagg? He was listed at 6 ft 9 in at Duke. He is now listed at 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) after reported growth at the 2026 media day.
Does Cooper Flagg have a girlfriend? No relationship has ever been publicly confirmed. He keeps his personal life out of the spotlight, and this page will not guess.
Who is Cooper Flagg's twin brother? Ace Flagg, his twin. He also has an older brother, Hunter. Both of his parents played college basketball.
What is Cooper Flagg's net worth? There is no confirmed figure. He signed a rookie deal as the No. 1 pick, but no reliable net worth has been published, so we are not printing a number.
Read More: Cooper Flagg Scores 43 as Mavericks Beat Pacers, Wembanyama Drops 40 in Spurs' Ninth Straight Win
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