The countdown is on to the 2025 NBA Draft.
The Dallas Mavericks have the No. 1 overall pick in Thursday’s NBA Draft, and they’re expected to use it on Cooper Flagg, the basketball prodigy from Newport, Maine.
“Yeah, I mean it’s surreal. That’s the word I would use to describe how I’m feeling. I don’t know if it’s all set in yet. But I’m just trying to enjoy it, take it one day at a time, and really just soak it all in,” Flagg said Wednesday.
Before he takes the NBA stage, those who knew Flagg best are reflecting on his rise and what made him a once-in-a-generation player long before the national spotlight.
“It’s not many times you can see a high school freshman get the ball at the top of the three-point line, take one dribble and two steps, and just hammer home a dunk. It was sort of jaw-dropping to just see it in person,” said Mary Nadeau, principal at Nokomis High School.
Flagg first started making waves in local rec leagues, outpacing players years older than him.
“At a young age, he was always better than everyone else. He would always play up. We’d be playing fourth-grade basketball, and he’d be playing five-six,” said former teammate Dawson Townsend.
Cooper Flagg and former teammate Dawson Townsend.
Cooper Flagg and former teammate Dawson Townsend
Middle school brought even bigger plays and louder reactions.
“From the seventh grade to eighth grade, that summer in between, he did, literally up there, above the garage, box jumps and plyometrics and all that stuff. And it paid off. He was averaging 20 points just in dunks. And in Maine, that’s unheard of. Two foot, two hands, easy dunks. That was like, OK, this kid is legit,” Townsend said.
Flagg’s freshman year at Nokomis became legendary. He and his twin brother, Ace, helped lead the team to its first-ever boys basketball state title.
“He had a ridiculous baseline drive reverse dunk against South Portland High School, that brought even the South Portland student section on their feet. There were a whole bunch of those moments. And he looked over at me, and I just said, 'That’s ridiculous.' And even the official started laughing,” recalled coach Earl Anderson.
Cooper Flagg and his twin brother, Ace, brought home the state's first
Cooper Flagg and his twin brother, Ace, helped lead the team to its first-ever boys basketball state title
The accolades followed: Mr. Basketball and Gatorade Player of the Year, awards normally given to seniors, as a freshman.
“He dominated the state of Maine that year,” said sports radio broadcaster Chris Popper.
His transfer to Montverde Academy in Florida was bittersweet for his hometown. But the support never wavered.
After two standout seasons in Florida, Flagg committed to Duke University, igniting even more hometown pride and attention from fans back in Maine.
“Our sports station, 92.9 The Ticket, we actually carried Duke basketball this year because of Cooper Flagg,” Popper said. He said it was incredibly popular.
Sports radio broadcaster Chris Popper.
Chris Popper, 92.9 sports radio broadcaster
“You never saw more people wearing Duke stuff than this past winter in Newport. Everywhere you went,” Anderson added.
Townsend said every little kid in Newport wants to be like Cooper, with many wearing Cooper Flagg jerseys and talking about his latest games.
As Flagg now prepares to join the Dallas Mavericks, his hometown hopes the next chapter brings the same love and support he found growing up.
“I think my hope, too, is for the Dallas fans, that he’ll take care of our guy. I mean, he’s still young. He’s still only 18 years old,” Nadeau said.
“He’s a Maine boy. The one thing I’ll tell you about Mainers is that they love their own. The Flagg name is magic here in Maine,” Popper added.
HOW TO WATCH THE 2025 NBA DRAFT?
The 2025 NBA Draft takes place Wednesday, June 25, and Thursday, June 26, at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn.
First round (Wednesday): begins at 7 p.m. CST on ABC and ESPN
Second round (Thursday): begins at 7 p.m. CST on ESPN
The Dallas Mavericks are on the clock first with the No. 1 overall pick—expected to be Cooper Flagg.