Without Cooper Flagg, Duke still got the job done. The Blue Devils locked in a 73-62 win over Louisville to clinch the ACC tournament title. It’s their first time winning both the regular-season ACC title and the conference tournament in the same year since 2006. But while Flagg wasn’t lighting up the court, the cameras sure didn’t forget about him. Sitting on the sidelines, he had something else shining.
A glowing necklace with the ‘number 32’ on it!!
So, what’s the deal? You’re probably thinking, “Wait, doesn’t Flagg wear No. 2?” Well, let’s break it down for you.
Before stepping onto Duke’s campus, the freshman star rocked the No. 32 jersey throughout his high school career, first at Nokomis Regional High and later at Montverde Academy. And there’s a pretty sweet reason behind it—his mom, Kelly Flagg, wore No. 32 when she played high school basketball.
If that wasn’t enough, he later found out that Stacey Clingan, who was his mom’s college teammate at Maine (the mother of UConn former Donovan Clingan), also wore No. 32. That sealed the deal for him—32 was his number. But when the 18-year-old got to Duke, he couldn’t keep 32 because of Christian Laettner. Duke retired his number (32) in 1992 to honor one of the greatest players in NCAA history.
Coop came iced out to the ACC Championship pic.twitter.com/r5rfHtGeIc
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 16, 2025
So, Flagg had to pick a new number, and that’s where things get even more meaningful.
Instead of randomly picking a jersey number, the tennager chose No. 2 to honor Donovan Kurt, a player from Nokomis Regional High who was teammates with his older brother, Hunter. Kurt tragically passed away from brain cancer at just 19 years old.
“My older brother was teammates and close friends with this kid, Donovan Kurt, and he had gotten cancer and passed away just a little while ago,” Flagg shared on The Brotherhood Podcast. “He really impacted my life in a big way. Being able to represent him really meant a lot to me.”
So, while he can’t wear No. 32 on his jersey anymore, Flagg found a way to keep it close—literally, around his neck. It’s a little piece of his past, his family, and his journey, all wrapped up in one shining tribute.
The post Why Does Cooper Flagg Wear 32? Unravelling the Mystery Behind Duke Star’s Glowing Necklace at the ACC Championship appeared first on EssentiallySports.