Cooper Flagg Had a Very Wholesome Rivalry When He Was a Child

Driveway games helped spark his competitiveness.

Cooper Flagg, his father, twin brother and mother answer questions at the Ronald McDonald House in North Carolina. / Ethan Hyman / The News & Observer/Tribune News Service via Getty Images

Cooper Flagg is going to be the No. 1 pick in the 2025 NBA draft. When he starts playing in Dallas who knows what teams will present themselves as rivals through his career, but a new feature in Sports Illustrated by Chris Mannix reveals the story behind his earliest rivalries in his driveway with his twin brother, Ace, and his mother, Kelly.

Cooper grew up playing Ace, who is a minute older and will play at the University of Maine this upcoming season, but mom was the most formidable opponent at home when he was young.

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One-on-one games in the driveway would go deep into the night. But Cooper’s real rival was Mom. Kelly quit organized basketball after college. But she didn’t quit playing. She can’t remember exactly her first game against Cooper. But she never let him win. If he went up for a shot, she blocked it. If he wanted to stop her, he’d have to defend her in the post. “He’ll beat me when he can beat me,” she told her husband. (Ralph, with little interest in getting injured, rarely joined.) By the end of sixth grade, Cooper had sprouted to six feet. The post-ups stopped working. The last time they played, she tore her meniscus. The rivalry ended there.

Flagg's father, Ralph, may have made the right choice by avoiding the games altogether. Considering Cooper ended up the top player in the nation and mom ended up with a torn meniscus, there's no reason to second guess him.

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