“It’s always been about basketball for us,” Cooper Flagg once said about his brothers, Hunter and Ace. In this season alone, the Duke freshman has carried his own, winning accolades like Associated Press NPOY, ACC Player of the Year, and CBS Sports Player of the Year. He has certainly captivated the basketball world, especially with those historic performances, leading the Blue Devils to the Final Four in his freshman season. Yet the tale of his meteoric rise is rooted in a tale of resilience fueled by family and loss.
At the core of his journey is Cooper’s relationship with his mother, Kelly Flagg. Kelly herself was a former college basketball player, and she has been a guiding force for her three sons. “It’s just what my family has always done. … It’s just in our blood, and what we do,” she told in an interview. But tragedy has also touched their family, most notably the loss of Ryder, Cooper’s late brother.
How many brothers does Cooper Flagg have? Who’s his late brother Ryder?
Cooper Flagg has two brothers—an older brother, Hunter, and a fraternal twin, Ace. But did you know his family story also includes the memory of another sibling? Ryder, who passed away just two days after he was born in August 2004. Hunter’s twin, Ryder Alan Flagg, was born prematurely at 24 weeks. Hunter survived after a long stay in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), but Ryder didn’t. The Flagg family has not disclosed the specific cause of Ryder’s death, leaving the heartbreaking nature of his loss to remain a deeply personal chapter in their lives.
In fact, it was nothing short of miraculous that Hunter had survived. He was born weighing 1 pound, 10 ounces and faced many challenges while staying in the NICU, including blindness in one eye from oxygen exposure before his retinas had developed. Parents Kelly and Ralph stayed by their son’s side during those critical days, going to the Ronald McDonald House in Portland to be as close as possible to the infant as he fought for his life.
How did Ryder’s death affect Cooper Flagg’s mother Kelly?
Kelly Flagg was deeply affected by Ryder’s loss. She reflected on those difficult days, remembering how she was determined to stay by Hunter’s side: “I never left Portland,” she said. “After Hunter was born, I said, ‘I’m not leaving without him,’ and so to have the house and to be able to stay close by … There were times that were sort of perilous during his journey, and I get a call at any time of day and night that I needed to get over there to the hospital. Being three minutes away instead of an hour and a half was huge.” Kelly explained.
In 2006, they were blessed with another set of twins—Cooper and Ace, born at 35 weeks but healthy enough to be sent home just four days later. By tirelessly fighting for Hunter’s survival, the Flagg family learned firsthand the value of being grateful and resilient, both of which they still carry with them to this day.
Who is Cooper Flagg’s elder brother Hunter? What does he do?
Hunter Flagg, Cooper’s older brother, has always been a key part of their basketball-driven family. Like Cooper and Ace, Hunter played basketball at Nokomis Regional High School in Newport, Maine. In his senior year, when Cooper and Ace were freshmen, the three boys successfully took their team to win the state championship. There is no doubt that they are close as they spent a lot of time together while developing love for the game.
Hunter is now a college student at the University of Maine. He is in his junior year while taking up sports management as his major. Even though Hunter is not as famous as Cooper, he still has a significant impact on his brothers’ lives. He’s a constant source of support and is still very much involved in the basketball world.
In the end Cooper’s tale isn’t only about his basketball skills, but also of his family’s strength and how it has molded them.
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