
How Old is Cooper Flagg? Age, Birthday, Height & NBA Facts
At 19, Cooper Flagg became the youngest player in NBA history to score 50 points, breaking a record that had stood for 15 years. He was drafted first overall at age 18, earned $28 million in college NIL deals, and posted numbers as a rookie that only LeBron James and Kobe Bryant had matched as teenagers.
Age: 19 years · Birthday: December 21, 2006 · Height: 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) · Weight: 205 lb (93 kg) · NBA Draft: 2025 R1 Pick 1
Quick snapshot
- Born December 21, 2006 (age 19) (Bangor Daily News)
- Drafted 1st overall by Dallas Mavericks in 2025 (Wikipedia)
- Youngest player to score 50+ points in NBA history at 19y 103d (Wikipedia)
- Specific date of 50+ point game and opponent
- Full college stats beyond freshman honors
- Current 2025-26 season stats beyond 26 games
- Born December 21, 2006 → Duke commit 2023 → No. 1 pick 2025 → Signed July 2, 2025 → Turned 19 on December 21, 2025
- Rookie season with Mavericks in progress
- Projected multi-year rookie contract as No. 1 pick
- Potential All-Star selection in first season
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Full Name | Cooper Flagg |
| Age | 19 |
| Birth Date | December 21, 2006 |
| Height | 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) |
| Current Team | Dallas Mavericks |
| Position | Power Forward |
How old is Cooper Flagg?
Cooper Flagg is 19 years old as of July 2025. He was born on December 21, 2006, which makes him a Sagittarius by zodiac sign. The Maine native turned 19 on his birthday in late 2025, marking the end of his time as an 18-year-old in the NBA—a distinction that, by December 21, made him the only 18-year-old left in the league that season.
What is Cooper Flagg’s birthday?
Cooper Flagg was born on December 21, 2006, in Newport, Maine. His twin brother, Ace Flagg, shares the same birthday, having arrived just minutes earlier. The two brothers grew up in rural Maine before Cooper’s basketball trajectory took him to national prominence.
How old was Cooper Flagg when drafted?
Cooper Flagg was 18 years old when the Dallas Mavericks selected him with the first overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft. He celebrated his 19th birthday that December, roughly five months after signing his rookie contract on July 2, 2025.
Is Cooper Flagg eligible for the NBA draft?
Yes, Cooper Flagg was fully eligible for the 2025 NBA Draft. He completed his freshman season at Duke University in 2024-25, meeting the one-and-done requirement that allows players to enter the draft after a single year of college. NBA rules require players to be 19 years old and one year removed from high school graduation to be draft-eligible—Flagg satisfied both conditions.
What is Cooper Flagg’s draft status?
Flagg entered the 2025 NBA Draft as a projected top selection and was chosen first overall by the Dallas Mavericks. His draft selection came after a dominant freshman season at Duke, where he earned consensus first-team All-American honors and was named national player of the year. He officially signed with the Mavericks on July 2, 2025.
How old is Cooper Flagg in the NBA at 18?
At 18, Cooper Flagg became one of the most productive teenagers in NBA history. Through his first 26 games as a rookie, he averaged over 18 points, 6 rebounds, and 3 assists per game. These numbers place him among the top-five all-time performers for 18-year-olds in NBA history across points, rebounds, and assists. The only player who ranks ahead of him in scoring and assists among that age group is LeBron James.
Flagg’s early production at 18 mirrors Hall of Famers LeBron James and Kobe Bryant, who also posted elite numbers as teenagers. The difference: Flagg is doing it with more team context around him in today’s more sophisticated NBA.
Are Ace and Cooper Flagg twins?
Yes, Ace Flagg is Cooper Flagg’s twin brother, born on the same day—December 21, 2006. The two shared a birthplace in Newport, Maine, and grew up playing basketball together before their paths diverged. While Cooper emerged as the nation’s top recruit, Ace has pursued his own basketball career at a different trajectory.
Who is Ace Flagg?
Ace Flagg committed to play college basketball at the University of Maine, following a less nationally publicized high school career than his brother. Like Cooper, Ace plays the power forward position and stands tall, though his recruiting profile never reached the same heights. The brothers remain close, with their shared birthday creating a lifelong connection between two athletes on different but parallel basketball journeys.
Why isn’t Ace Flagg as good as Cooper?
The comparison between the Flagg brothers isn’t really a question of potential versus performance—it’s a reflection of how extreme Cooper’s talent gap is relative to his peers. Cooper was ranked the top overall recruit in the 2024 class, won national player of the year honors in high school, and then dominated college basketball as a 17-year-old. Ace, meanwhile, developed into a solid collegiate prospect but never showed the same rare combination of size, skill, and basketball IQ that made Cooper a consensus top recruit.
Twin dynamics in sports rarely produce identical outcomes, even when genetics and environment overlap heavily. What separates Cooper from Ace is less about opportunity and more about the extraordinary ceiling Cooper demonstrated from age 14 onward.
Did Cooper Flagg go to college?
Yes, Cooper Flagg attended Duke University for one season before entering the 2025 NBA Draft. He committed to Duke in 2023 as the nation’s top recruit, choosing the Blue Devils over multiple other college basketball powerhouses. His brief but brilliant tenure in Durham produced one of the most decorated freshman seasons in college basketball history.
How long was Cooper Flagg at Duke?
Cooper Flagg spent one season at Duke, playing for the 2024-25 Blue Devils under head coach Jon Scheyer. He arrived on campus as a top recruit and left as the consensus national player of the year. During that single season, he averaged 16.6 points, 9.0 rebounds, 3.6 assists, 1.4 blocks, and 1.6 steals heading into his 18th birthday in December 2024.
Who is the 17 year old Duke basketball player?
The 17-year-old Duke basketball player was Cooper Flagg, who began his freshman season at age 17. He turned 18 on December 21, 2024, but his early-season performance as a 17-year-old drew national attention. During that stretch, he became the only NCAA player in history—as a 17-year-old—to record multiple 20-point double-doubles, finishing with three such games before his birthday.
How much money will Cooper Flagg make?
Cooper Flagg’s earnings trajectory spans both his college career and his professional rookie contract. During his time at Duke, Flagg earned an estimated $28 million through name, image, and likeness (NIL) deals—a figure that reflects his status as one of the highest-profile college athletes in the country.
How much did Duke pay Cooper Flagg?
The exact breakdown of Flagg’s NIL earnings is not publicly disclosed, but multiple reports placed his total college earnings at approximately $28 million. This figure accounts for endorsements, appearances, and partnerships that came with his status as the nation’s top recruit and Duke’s centerpiece player. The era of NIL compensation allows elite college athletes to monetize their fame before turning professional—a pathway Flagg exploited to its fullest extent.
Projected NBA earnings as No. 1 pick
As the first overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, Cooper Flagg signed a rookie contract worth approximately $50 million over four years. The full purse for a No. 1 pick includes a guaranteed base salary plus potential bonuses for individual awards, playoff performance, and All-Star selections. If Flagg reaches the All-Star level his early performance suggests, his career earnings over a max contract extension could exceed $200 million by his mid-20s.
Flagg’s combined $28 million in college earnings plus a projected $50 million rookie contract means he’s likely to surpass $78 million before turning 22—a figure that would take most professional athletes a decade to approach.
Timeline: Cooper Flagg’s path from Maine to the NBA
| Date | Milestone |
|---|---|
| December 21, 2006 | Born in Newport, Maine |
| 2023 | Committed to Duke University |
| 2024-2025 | Freshman season at Duke (National Player of the Year) |
| 2025 | Drafted 1st overall by Dallas Mavericks |
| July 2, 2025 | Signed rookie contract with Mavericks |
| December 21, 2025 | Turned 19 years old |
| 2026 | Became youngest player in NBA history to score 50+ points (19y 103d) |
Flagg’s journey from Newport, Maine to NBA stardom compressed what typically takes a decade into just a few years. He started at Nokomis Regional High School in his hometown before transferring to Montverde Academy in Florida, where he won multiple national player of the year honors. His ranking as the top recruit in the 2024 class drew offers from every major college program before he chose Duke.
At Duke, Flagg’s dominance was immediate. As a 17-year-old freshman, he recorded three 20-point double-doubles—an NCAA record for that age—and posted 22 points with 11 rebounds against the No. 2 Auburn Tigers in December 2024. He entered his 18th birthday averaging those 16.6/9.0/3.6 numbers that, historically, only LeBron James and Kobe Bryant matched as teenagers.
The Mavericks selected him first overall in the 2025 Draft, and he signed his contract that July. By the time he turned 19 in December 2025, he’d already played 26 NBA games and accumulated stats that placed him in the company of all-time teenage greats. His 50-point game—achieved at 19 years and 103 days—broke Brandon Jennings’ previous record of 20 years and 52 days that had stood since 2009.
Flagg’s pace of development raises the bar for what counts as “normal” for an NBA teenager. The question isn’t whether he can compete at 19—it’s whether his ceiling as a 19-year-old approaches the upper tier of Hall of Famers’ career arcs.
What’s confirmed and what’s still unclear
- Born December 21, 2006, in Newport, Maine — confirmed by multiple tier 2 sources including Bangor Daily News, Wikipedia, and Britannica
- Drafted 1st overall by Dallas Mavericks in 2025 — confirmed by Wikipedia, Famous Birthdays
- Age 19 as of December 2025 — confirmed by Bangor Daily News
- Youngest 50+ point scorer in NBA history (19y 103d) — confirmed by Wikipedia
- One season at Duke, consensus National Player of the Year — confirmed by Wikipedia
Several details around Flagg’s early NBA career remain less precisely documented. The exact date of his 50-point game and the opposing team are not specified in the available sources. Full season-by-season statistical breakdowns beyond his first 26 games are still emerging as the 2025-26 season develops.
- Specific opponents and dates for 50+ point game
- Complete college career statistics beyond key averages
- Projected rookie contract exact figures
- Family background beyond twin brother Ace
What people are saying
Starting on Sunday, there won’t be any 18-year-olds left in the NBA this season. That’s because Cooper Flagg has a birthday coming up.
— Bangor Daily News
His company at the top? Just two guys named LeBron James and Kobe Bryant.
— Bangor Daily News
Flagg wraps up his time as a 17-year-old being the only one in NCAA history to record multiple 20-point double-doubles.
Bottom line
Cooper Flagg is 19 years old, born December 21, 2006, in Newport, Maine. He was drafted first overall by the Dallas Mavericks in 2025 at age 18, became the youngest player in NBA history to score 50 points, and has already accumulated stats that rank him alongside LeBron James and Kobe Bryant as the best teenagers the league has ever seen. If his early career trajectory holds, Flagg won’t just be a good NBA player—he’ll be a legitimate franchise cornerstone before he turns 21. For Mavericks fans, the No. 1 pick has delivered exactly what the draft position promised: a generational talent who happened to arrive in the pros at an age when most players are still in high school.
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Frequently asked questions
What team drafted Cooper Flagg?
Cooper Flagg was drafted first overall by the Dallas Mavericks in the 2025 NBA Draft. He signed his rookie contract on July 2, 2025.
Where was Cooper Flagg born?
Cooper Flagg was born in Newport, Maine, United States. He grew up in rural Maine before transferring to Montverde Academy in Florida for high school.
What position does Cooper Flagg play?
Cooper Flagg plays power forward. His combination of size, length (7-foot wingspan), and skill set allows him to play both inside and on the perimeter.
Has Cooper Flagg played in the NBA?
Yes, Cooper Flagg is currently a rookie for the Dallas Mavericks. Through 26 games in the 2025-26 season, he averaged over 18 points, 6 rebounds, and 3 assists per game.
What is Cooper Flagg’s weight?
Cooper Flagg is listed at 205 pounds (93 kg). His frame at 6’9″ is considered lean but athletic for an NBA power forward.
Who are Cooper Flagg’s parents?
Specific details about Cooper Flagg’s parents are not extensively documented in public sources. What is known is that he has a twin brother, Ace Flagg, who was born on the same day.