Governor Janet Mills has proclaimed June 25, 2025, as “Cooper Flagg Day” to celebrate the Maine native’s remarkable basketball achievement.
The 18-year-old from Newport is overwhelmingly projected to be the first pick in Wednesday night’s NBA Draft.
The Dallas Mavericks will pick first.
“Cooper Flagg’s extraordinary talent and dedication to basketball has earned him national acclaim as perhaps the most promising player of his generation. He is a source of tremendous pride for Maine,” Mills said in a Wednesday statement.
“I have proclaimed today as Cooper Flagg Day, so all the people of Maine can celebrate his achievement, hard work, perseverance, and sportsmanship, which should inspire youth across our state to pursue their dreams with Cooper’s signature determination.”
“I am so proud to call Maine my home state and I am grateful for all of the support I have received,” said Flagg. “Thank you to Governor Mills and New Balance for helping to reinforce my belief in the value of teamwork and that if you stick to something and keep working, you can make anything happen.”
In 2022, Flagg led Nokomis High School as a freshman to its first state basketball championship and earned honors as Maine’s Boys Basketball Player of the Year and USA Basketball’s Male Athlete of the Year.
In 2024, Flagg was the youngest player chosen for the USA Basketball Men’s Select Team, prior to attending Duke University. At Duke, he was named both the 2025 Atlantic Coast Conference Player of the Year and Rookie of the Year.
Maine-based New Balance, which has a partnership with Flagg, is celebrating “Cooper Flagg Day” by raising flags on Wednesday at its facilities in Norway and Skowhegan.
