Cooper Flagg

A teenage basketball phenom who redefined the hype by delivering a historic, award-drenched freshman season at Duke.

Born 2006 (age 20)·American basketball player·Birthday: December 21·Generation Z

Biography

Cooper Flagg scored 42 points in a high school game that went viral, announcing a talent from Newport, Maine, before he transferred to Montverde Academy in Florida. He chose Duke University for college basketball. In his single college season, he averaged 18.5 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 4.2 assists per game while leading the Blue Devils to the NCAA tournament. Flagg swept every major national player of the year award as a freshman. He declared for the NBA draft after that season. His defensive instincts and offensive versatility made him the focal point of every game. The Portland Trail Blazers selected him with the first overall pick in the 2025 NBA draft.

Generation Z

1997–2012

Born into smartphones, social media, and school shootings. The most diverse generation in history. Pragmatic about money, fluid about identity, anxious about the climate. They do not remember a world before the internet.

Cooper was born in 2006, placing them squarely in the Generation Z. The events that shaped this generation — social media, climate anxiety, and a pandemic — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.

#1 When Cooper Was Born

The biggest hits of 2006

#1 Movie

Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest

Best Picture

The Departed

#1 TV Show

American Idol

Cooper's Life & Times

The world at every milestone

2006Born

Twitter launches; Pluto reclassified as dwarf planet

Gas: $2.59/galHome: $174,700Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Bad Day" — Daniel PowterBest Picture: The Departed

2011Started school

Osama bin Laden killed; Arab Spring sweeps the Middle East

Gas: $3.53/galHome: $138,400Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Rolling in the Deep" — AdeleBest Picture: The Artist

2019Became a teenager

First image of a black hole; Hong Kong protests

Gas: $2.60/galHome: $224,400Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"Old Town Road" — Lil Nas XBest Picture: Parasite

2022Could drive

Russia invades Ukraine; Queen Elizabeth II dies

Gas: $3.97/galHome: $348,700Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Joe Biden"As It Was" — Harry StylesBest Picture: Everything Everywhere All at Once

2024Could vote

AI reshapes industries; Paris Olympics

Gas: $3.31/galHome: $372,000Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Joe Biden"Espresso" — Sabrina CarpenterBest Picture: Anora

2026Age 20 today

Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump

Key Achievements

Named the consensus National Player of the Year as a freshman at Duke University.
Earned consensus first-team All-American honors in his lone collegiate season.
Won multiple national high school player of the year awards while at Montverde Academy.
Was the top-ranked recruit in the entire 2024 high school class.