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Cooper Flagg's Mom Makes Funny Personal Admission

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Angelo Guinhawa | Last updated Jun 27, 2025 7:13 AM ET

Cooper Flagg is officially an NBA player after the Dallas Mavericks made him the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 draft on Wednesday.

In his lone season at Duke, Cooper Flagg established himself as the clear top prospect in the class of 2025. He averaged 19.2 points on 48.1 percent shooting, along with 7.5 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 1.4 steals and 1.4 blocks in 37 games.

Several experts have weighed in on the 18-year-old forward before and after the draft, with many pointing out that he's a "special" player who is ready for the NBA. Veteran sports commentator Stephen A. Smith even went as far as to say that his addition to the Mavericks makes them the biggest threat to the newest champions, the Oklahoma City Thunder.

While a lot of focus has been on the youngster, his mother, Kelly Flagg, has also been generating plenty of buzz recently. During the draft, the Flagg matriarch shared an emotional hug with her son and expressed her delight at seeing Cooper Flagg make it to the NBA.

Following the rookie selection, fintech company Chime posted a video of its interview with Cooper Flagg and his mom to promote their partnership. Kelly Flagg showed her sense of humor in the interview, making a rather hilarious admission about her personal life in front of her son.

According to Kelly Flagg, she married Ralph Flagg because of his height. Cooper Flagg's dad stands at 6-foot-9.

"That's why I married your dad. He's tall, and I thought maybe I could get some tall basketball babies." Kelly Flagg shared.

She added, "So I guess it was a success," referencing Cooper Flagg and his journey to make it to the NBA.

Dallas, @Cooper_Flagg is ready

Mama, I Made It episode 2 out now. Only on https://t.co/agYELtTEQ4.#cooperflagg #dallasmavs #nba #nbadraft #mom pic.twitter.com/2JraNLrMAl
— Chime (@Chime) June 26, 2025

The NBA lists Cooper Flagg's height as 6-foot-8, so he definitely got his dad's height. Whether Kelly Flagg is joking or not about her reason for marrying Ralph Flagg, the fact remains that they produced a talent who is good enough to be the No. 1 pick in the NBA Draft.

Cooper Flagg, for his part, could only smile at his mother's revelation.

With the former Duke star now set to begin his NBA journey, fans will probably see a lot of his mom cheering for the youngster in the upcoming season.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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