Duke made a deep run in the 2025 NCAA Tournament all the way to the Final Four and were led by star freshman Cooper Flagg.
Even though the Blue Devils were ultimately ousted by Houston, Flagg was firmly in the national spotlight as the top player in the country. But the spotlight also extended to another family member — Flagg's mom Kelly.
During Duke's games during the tournament, the television broadcast frequently showed Flagg's mom. His mother also went viral earlier in the year during a regular-season game against UNC. And now that Flagg is in Dallas after being selected with the No. 1 overall pick, Kelly can still be seen cheering on her son at Mavs games.
MORE: Where did Cooper Flagg's mom play basketball?
Who is Cooper Flagg's mom?
Flagg's mother is Kelly Bowman Flagg. His mom brings some serious basketball pedigree to the family— she played Division I basketball for the University of Maine from 1996-1999. The Black Bears made it to three straight NCAA Tournaments while she was there, playing under head coach Joanne Palombo-McCallie. Her team also upset Stanford in the tournament during her final season at Maine in 1999.
She grew up watching the Boston Celtics dominate in the 1980s. Via an ESPN profile on the Flagg family from November 2024:
Kelly was spellbound. They led the NBA in rebounding and 3-point field-goal percentage and ranked second in field goal percentage and assists. YouTube clips are devoted to their passing prowess — the ball rarely hitting the floor, players constantly giving up good shots for great shots.
"That was the most pure form of the game in my mind," Kelly said. And it framed her worldview about how to play it. Like her father, she attended Nokomis, where she became one of the state's best players. She then starred at the University of Maine, which upset Stanford in the 1999 NCAA tournament during her senior season.
Flagg's father is Ralph Flagg, and the two raised Flagg in Newport, Maine, where Kelly grew up. Ralph played college basketball at Eastern Maine Community College.
"It fills us both with an immense amount of pride" 👏@TheAndyKatz chatted with Cooper Flagg's parents after the freshman was named AP Player of the Year 🗣️ pic.twitter.com/gnfnZdYp0r
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) April 4, 2025
MORE:Inside Cooper Flagg's family tree, including twin brother Ace
What did Cooper Flagg's mom do?
During Duke's dominating 82-69 road win over rival UNC at the end of the regular season, Flagg's mom went viral. After a thundering dunk from Flagg, the cameras found Kelly, who was celebrating like crazy. It included some salty language:
Cooper Flagg’s mom really hit the “on his head” celebration 🤣🔥 pic.twitter.com/TcXw6WaNrg
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) March 9, 2025
Flagg finished with 15 points, four blocks, nine rebounds and six assists during the victory.
After the game, his mom posted on Facebook addressing her viral moment and added that the animated celebration was in response to some "crude" UNC fans at the game:
Cooper Flagg's mom, Kelly, responds to her viral moment 😳😂 pic.twitter.com/VzNJrsP6Ta
— The Field of 68 (@TheFieldOf68) March 10, 2025
Given her viral history, the cameras continue to find Kelly in Dallas during Mavericks games as well.
Cooper Flagg’s mom reaction to this bucket is hilarious 😂pic.twitter.com/KIAADFuOVa
— Cooper Flagg Muse (@CooperFMuse) January 26, 2026
MORE: Where Cooper Flagg ranks among the youngest players in the NBA