Maine Gov. Declares June 25 'Cooper Flagg Day' to Honor Projected No. 1 NBA Draft Pick
Maine governor Janet Mills has declared Wednesday, June 25 as "Cooper Flagg Day" in honor of the former Duke star and presumptive No. 1 NBA draft pick, who was born and raised in the in-state town of Newport.
"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," Governor Mills said in a press release.
"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."
Flagg also added remarks.
"I am so proud to call Maine my home state and I am grateful for all of the support I have received," Flagg stated. "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."
New Balance, which signed an endorsement deal with Flagg last August, has two manufacturing facilities in the state in Norway and Skowhegan. Both facilities are raising flags in his honor.
Flagg played one year (2021-22) of high school ball in Maine at Nokomis High School. He led the school to a state championship and was named Maine's Boys Basketball Player of the Year as a freshman.
He transferred to Monteverde Academy after his first year of school and continued his dominance. In his final high school season (2023-2024), Flagg was named Gatorade National Player of the Year, Mr. Basketball USA and the Naismith Prep Player of the Year.
Flagg then went to Duke after reclassifying as a member of the high school class of 2024. He met the massive hype and then some, earning national college player of the year 2025 and consensus first-team All-American honors.
Now he's all but certain to be the No. 1 pick in the NBA draft to the Dallas Mavericks. He'll become the first Maine-born basketball player to be selected in the NBA draft since Jeff Turner in 1984 (No. 17 overall to the New Jersey Nets).
