Everything about Duke Basketball -Star’s parents and siblings

Basketball is one Flag family pastime.

Duke University Basketball Star Cooper Flagg’s parents, Kelly Bowman flag and Ralph flagare both former college basketball players and continued to pick up three sons who love the sport.

Kelly and Ralph have been married since the beginning of the 2000s and welcomed their first son, Hunter, 2004. (His twin, Ryder, died two days after being born.) Two years later, Cooper and his twin brother, Ace. The couple bred their family in Newport, Maine, and the boys played basketball in the driveway all chances they could.

“We could not play a game in our driveway without someone bleeding,” Ace told New Center Maine In April 2025. “The game would end when someone ran to scream for mom, but it was always fun.”

Nowadays, Ace, a three-o’clock High School State Champion, has been involved in the University of Maine, and Cooper, which is expected to be the total election no. 1 of the NBA draft by 2025, had an impressive New Year’s season at Duke University.

Blue Devils is currently fighting for an NCAA title and will meet Houston Cougars on April 5 in Final Four.

“(Cooper is) the best child. That’s all I can say is that he is just a good person and a good boy. I am very, very proud of him,” Kelly told People in March 2025.

Here’s everything to know about Cooper Flagg’s family, including his parents, Kelly and Ralph, and his two brothers, Hunter and Ace.

Kelly and Ralph played college basketball

Cooper is the product from two college basketball players.

Kelly played for the University of Maine in the late 90s. She and her season teammates in 1998–99 made Umaine Women’s Basketball History when they won the program’s first NCAA tournament game and upset Stanford University.

2021 the team was introduced in the school’s Sports hall about fame. “It was a special time! So proud and honored!” Kelly wrote it X In front of the ceremony.

When it comes to Ralph, he played basketball for Eastern Maine Community College.

The couple met shortly after college and tied over their love for basketball. When they played one-on-one, Ralph told ESPN That he could not stop her up and during movement.

“She was pretty deadly with it,” he told the outlet by 2024. “And a tough competitor.”

Kelly and Ralph welcomed four children, including Cooper

Ralph and Kelly got married in the early 2000s and started a family.

Kelly became pregnant with twins, but complications arose when she went in premature work at 24 weeks. The couple welcomed Sons Hunter and Ryder on August 4, 2004. Ryder died two days later, and Hunter was at the newborn intensive care for 109 days.

Flaggs lived in Newport, Maine, at that time – 90 minutes from the Maine Medical Center in Portland, where Kelly had born. So the new mother stayed at the local Ronald McDonald house until Hunter was healthy enough to go home.

“I’ve never left Portland,” she told Tuscon.com. “After Hunter was born, I said,” I don’t leave without him. “Being three minutes away instead of an hour and a half was huge.”

Ralph and Kelly eventually decided to have more children. After several cycles of IVF, Kelly became pregnant again with twins. The couple welcomed Ace and Cooper on December 21, 2006.

Cooper grew up in the gym with Ralph

At a young age, Cooper showed a huge promise of the basketball court. He received his first offer of basketball basketball scholarship in eighth grade, per Bangor Daily NewsAnd skipped their high school to go on Duke.

Cooper has raw talent, but he told Blue devil In January 2025, his father has always played a major role in his growth as a basketball player.

“Getting back in the gym with my dad (is how I stay ready),” he said. “I grew up in the gym with my dad. Late nights, early mornings, with him just recovered me for me.”

Ace has undertaken the University of Maine, where Hunter goes to school

Cooper’s brothers have also seen some basketball success over the years.

In 2022, Hunter, Ace and Cooper played on the same team at Nokomi’s Regional High School in Maine, and the trio led the squad to a state championship.

Two years later, Ace helped its team at Montverde Academy in Florida to secure a state championship, and most recently he led Greensboro Day School in North Carolina to a State title In February 2025.

“I’m proud of him,” Cooper said during a press conference Shortly after Greensboro’s big win. “(ACE) received three state championships in three different states through their high school career, so it’s pretty cool.”

ACE will continue his basketball career at the University of Maine – where Hunter is currently working towards a degree in sports handling, per LinkedIn.

Kelly and Ralph are superstitious

Kelly and Ralph are their sons biggest fans – and they take their basketball superstition very seriously.

In March 2025, Kelly told People that she had to sit in the same place for each game and Ralph “cannot wear Spirit tools on game days.”

“I like to sit at the same person or in the same sitting order,” she explained and added, “(Ralph), on game days he carries everything but Duke Gear.”

Kelly and Ralph went viral at the 2025 ACC tournament

During the ACC tournament in March 2025, Cooper made a two-handed can against Duke’s largest rival, University of North Carolina. The audience went wild – including Kelly, who was seen patting the top of her head in the celebration and screaming, “On his head. On his f —— head“

Film of Kelly excitement on the tribun went viral on social media, and many thought her actions were in bad taste. Later she took to Facebook and semi-apologized.

“I want to apologize to everyone who was insulted by my language caught in a festive moment. I realize it was not my best look,” Kelly wrote before he was, “(it was) for a moment of being so proud of our child and also a large F-You to the entire Carolina fan base for being classless.”

“If you are UNC fan and didn’t like it … tough,” she continued. “Go Duke.”