Projected 1st overall pick, Cooper Flagg shares throwback snap from mom, Kelly's, playing days at Maine
Former Blue Devil, Cooper Flagg's mom, Kelly Flagg, played college basketball at the University of Maine and was even the team captain in her senior year. She led the Black Bears to three conference championships.
On Sunday, her son — a projected first pick in this year's NBA draft — shared a throwback snap on his Instagram story of her playing days at Maine, in honor of Mother's Day. The picture shows Kelly going up for a layup.
"Happy mothers day," Flagg wrote on his story with a red heart emoji.
Kelly was a native of Newport, Maine, and started playing basketball at Nokomis Regional High.
"She’s a very well-rounded player who does everything well. She also has a tremendous desire to succeed and is very coachable. I wish I had a dozen Kelly Bowmans," her high school coach, Charlie Wing, said of her at the time, per Bangor Daily News.
Cooper Flagg, who led Duke to the Final Four of the NCAA Tournament, was also featured in CBS Sports' Mother's Day special video.
"Hi mom! I love you so much. I wouldn't be here without you. I just wanted you to know that you're so a big part of my life, so I love you," Flagg said in the video to Kelly.
His Duke teammates Kon Knueppel and Patrick Ngongba II also shared heartfelt messages to their mothers on CBS Sports' video.
Cooper Flagg's mom highlights hard work behind his NBA projection
When Cooper Flagg arrived in Durham last offseason, he was already considered a generational talent. The hype only grew as he led the Blue Devils in scoring and rebounding.
Now, the 6-foot-9 freshman is preparing for his next basketball chapter, as he's a consensus top pick in the upcoming NBA draft. The lottery takes place on Monday, which will decide which team gets the chance to draft Flagg.
His mother, Kelly, is ready for any outcome that comes with the draft, especially after seeing him put in countless hours to reach this point.
"It’s all really pretty surreal," Kelly said in April, via Sports Illustrated. "It’s very exciting, it’s gratifying to see him have the success and know that it’s a direct result of all the hard work that he’s put in ... I don’t know what the next couple of months are going to be like and really what to expect."
In his only season at Duke, Flag averaged 19.2 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 4.2 assists per game.