The state of Maine, often associated with breathtaking nature and lobster rolls, is about to be front and center at this year’s NBA draft, as Cooper Flagg is expected to make history as the first No. 1 pick from the Pine Tree State.
“It’s a really cool feeling, really cool for me to go through and kind of have all the support of Maine behind me,” Flagg told NBC News at the AT&T Flaggship Experience event in New York City ahead of the draft, which begins Wednesday night.
“I actually got to go home for a little bit this summer so far, and just seeing all the support and seeing everybody was really good for me, and it’s just such a cool feeling knowing that I have the whole state behind me, and it’s kind of history that I’m being able to do.”
Flagg is from Newport (pop. 3,133), a town 30 minutes west of Bangor, known not for its basketball players but for its natural beauty. And regardless of where he’s drafted, Flagg will become just the third person born in Maine to play in the NBA, and the first one to be drafted in 41 years. Illinois and North Carolina currently lead the way with seven No. 1 picks each since the draft began in 1947.
“More than just my family, my village of people back home in Maine and my supporters who have kind of carried me through everything, and my supporters are really important to me and who I am today,” Flagg said.
The Dallas Mavericks have the first pick in the draft, but no matter where he ends up, Flagg will remain a Mainer to his core — ordering his lobster rolls chilled with mayo (as opposed to the competing Connecticut version of warm with butter).
Maine basketball runs through the Flagg family. Flagg’s mother, Kelly Bowman Flagg, played at Nokomis Regional High School, the same school both Cooper and his twin brother, Ace, won a state championship with, and she captained the team at the University of Maine. Cooper’s father, Ralph, played at Eastern Maine Community College. Ace currently plays for University of Maine.
Cooper’s basketball career started with one-on-one games against Ace and older brother Hunter in the family’s driveway in Newport. Those games sometimes ended in fistfights.
Cooper, now 18 and 6-foot-9, says those games and his upbringing are at the root of his competitive drive.
“They taught us from a young age, and just playing 100% you know, as hard as you can every single time, playing and giving your all to the game. So I think it’s kind of how you’re raised. And then you kind of get that as you play more more in the driveway, and you just never want to lose to your brothers.”
According to Ace, Cooper was just like every other shy kid growing up in Maine. “But when you have a tight-knit community, like we did in Maine, that’s when you can really see him open up,” he said. “We’re surrounded by our friends and family, and he really comes out of his shell.”
Ace recalls when he and Cooper played in a game at the Hall of Fame in Springfield, Massachusetts, a year after they had moved to Florida to finish high school. Their friends, family and members of the community drove three to four hours from Maine, filling up the top section of the bleachers. “It was the loudest section in the building. So that was incredible to see just support when we hadn’t even been able to see most of them for a year at that point, and they still showed complete support.”
Flagg has maintained his connection to Maine throughout his career, especially off the court. Last August, he signed with New Balance because of the company’s presence in the state, including a manufacturing plant 25 miles from his hometown.
“The connection with New Balance as a family company and a company with Maine roots means a lot to me,” Flagg said at the time. “That makes this really different and special. My mom used to go to the tent sale for back-to-school shopping there when we were kids. That really aligns the brand with my roots. It’s a perfect fit.”
The AT&T Flaggship Experience leaned into Flagg’s ties to Maine in an attempt to connect fans to his entire career — starting in his home state. They featured his jerseys from Nokomis H.S. and AAU team Maine United, displayed photographs and newspaper clips from his time in Maine and branded the activation as the “Maine Event,” referring to the “village” of support his mother, Kelly, often refers to.
But it’s not just Maine that is behind Cooper — the fandom has spread to all of New England.
Former Celtics player Brian Scalabrine, now a commentator for the Boston Celtics — said fans throughout the region constantly ask him about Flagg.
“The whole state of Maine is behind him. New England is behind him,” Scalabrine told NBC News. “They love the fact that this kid is out of the middle of nowhere.”
Scalabrine notes that Flagg’s rise in the game gives hope to young players around the country who are in remote places. “Every kid, white, Black, a kid from Europe, wherever, is looking at like this kid from the middle of nowhere, and he’s becoming the No. 1 pick in the draft,” he said. “He’s giving other people the opportunity to think you can come from anywhere and make it. You can come from the middle of Maine and develop yourself into the No. 1 pick in the draft.”
Maine native and Boston Celtics fan James Little, 37, who was at the AT&T event said: “He has the hopes of the entire state riding on his shoulders. This is one of the biggest things to ever happen for our state in a while.”
Portland resident Marisa Veroneau, 43, also at the Flagg event on Monday, noted that even nonbasketball fans are excited about Flagg. “There is quite a bit of buzz around town, Mainers are excited to see one of our hometown kids at the top of the draft. I expect Maverick jerseys to spike in these parts soon.”
