Cooper Flagg is making waves at just 19. NEWS CENTER Maine’s Ryan Bell sits down exclusively with the Newport native to talk about life in the NBA.
DALLAS, Texas — He’ll need to wait two more years before his first legal drink, but age has never stopped Cooper Flagg from reaching new heights.
A Maine state title at 15.
Division I dominance all before his 18th birthday.
Now 19 and playing for the Dallas Mavericks, Flagg is adjusting to life in the NBA.
“I think for me it’s just getting confident and getting comfortable,” Flagg said.
That adjustment extends beyond the court.
Some of his teammates are more than a decade older, including 35-year-old Klay Thompson, and others have children of their own.
“At the end of the day, it’s a job,” Flagg said. “We’re getting paid, and it is a job. So you have to look at it from that perspective every once in a while and just think that’s just what comes with it.”
As he adapts, Flagg has leaned heavily on his support system.
“It’s definitely been good to have my family around,” he said. “They’ve helped me through a lot of that.”
That includes his parents, Kelly and Ralph, and his brothers Hunter and Ace.
Despite moving from Maine to Florida and then to North Carolina, he has rarely spent this much time apart from Ace, who is home attending the University of Maine.
“It’s different, you know, not having your twin around all the time,” Flagg said. “The first time we were apart was last year. Before that, pretty much together all the time, doing everything together, playing on the same teams,” Flagg said.
Still, in true teenage fashion, they’ve found a way to stick together.
“We still stay connected for the most part. Me, him, and Hunter get on and play video games. So you find ways to stay connected with people, when you’re away from home. But now it’s definitely not the same,” Flagg said.
The distance has not impacted his performance. Flagg is the odds-on favorite to win Rookie of the Year, breaking records held by NBA legends such as LeBron James and Kobe Bryant.
“The more my teammates have kind of just been pushing me to, to be myself and to be confident,” Flagg said. “You know, the more I’ve looked at just be aggressive and assertive and, I think good things have happened.”
Through it all, his mindset remains steady. The same mindset he developed in Maine.
“I’m just going to try to be myself and keep working hard, you know, on the off days and putting the work in and staying consistent in that, and I have nothing to worry about.”