Slow-Mo Video of Cooper Flagg’s Injury Emerges

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Spencer Ostrow | Last updated Mar 13, 2025 1:22 PM ET

The Duke Blue Devils took on the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets on Thursday afternoon in the ACC Tournament quarterfinals. As the AP Poll’s No. 1-ranked team, Duke entered as heavy favorites, favored by 22.5 points according to bet365.

But Georgia Tech came out strong. The Yellow Jackets jumped out to a nine-point lead (26-17) with just under three minutes left in the first half, and that's when things went from bad to worse for Duke.

Freshman star Cooper Flagg went up for a defensive rebound, but as he landed, his left foot came down on the back heel of Georgia Tech forward Baye Ndongo. Flagg, the 2025 ACC Player of the Year and Rookie of the Year, rolled his ankle and immediately fell to the hardwood in pain.

Cooper Flagg exited the game and was helped to the locker room after appearing to injure his left ankle in the first half against Georgia Tech. pic.twitter.com/EiUslVt0ZM
— ESPN (@espn) March 13, 2025

Shortly afterward, a slow-mo video emerged of the injury on social media. In this video, fans can see how far Flagg's ankle actually twisted.

Cooper Flagg was legitimately 5 ft off The ground and rolled his ankle he might be cooked for the rest of the ACC tournament even if Duke wins today pic.twitter.com/73nGxi2MhK
— John (@iam_johnw) March 13, 2025

Flagg was later seen with his shoe off, being taken in a wheelchair for further evaluation and an X-ray.

Despite being ruled out for the rest of the game, he returned to the Duke bench, walking on his own midway through the second half.

This is a crushing loss for a Duke team that entered the game 28-3 and primed to be a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament. Now, the Blue Devils will be without Flagg—their leader in points, rebounds, assists, blocks, and steals—for the time being.

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

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