Apart from passing the basketball knowledge, Cooper Flagg’s mother is a fierce and protective parent. In the past, Kelly Flagg has shielded her son from unnecessary Luka Doncic comparisons and even started an NSFW chant at rivals during March Madness. But this time, the Dallas Mavericks rookie took care of his wounds and apparently avoided his mother for some time.
With 46.3 seconds in the final frame, Flagg goes tumbling to the ground hard, and Cam Johnson was called for the foul. Coop was airborne, trying to keep the ball in play. The impact was quite hard as he landed on his elbow and wrist. Johnson, in fact, tried to catch the Mavs rookie who took an awkward fall. But the Maine native decided to continue to play and went straight to the charity stripe.
He would score the first and miss the second as the Mavericks were trailing by six. Cooper Flagg cut his left elbow on the play, which led to a blood stain on the left side of the jersey. He also injured his right wrist and was in the locker room afterward with his hand heavily wrapped and iced. Getting hurt both sides, that’s why the fall was awkward. Thankfully, it wasn’t a major injury, yet Flagg made sure that his family, especially his mother, did not see him in this fashion.
Brad Townsend, Dallas Morning News sports reporter, tweeted, “Flagg’s parents were in attendance tonight and were waiting outside the Mavs locker room for Cooper to come out. Probably best that mom didn’t see the bloody jersey and heavily wrapped hand.” Even the 19-year-old’s words reiterated that the injury was not serious.
Flagg’s parents were in attendance tonight and were waiting outside the Mavs locker room for Cooper to come out. Probably best that mom didn’t see the bloody jersey and heavily wrapped hand. https://t.co/LCy7bb5808
— Brad Townsend (@townbrad) March 26, 2026
“I just landed on it, so I just put a little ice on it, ” said Flagg. About participation in the next matchup against the Trail Blazers, the answer was also positive. “Doing okay. Yeah, I mean it’s tough. We’re playing a lot of minutes, a couple of overtime games, you know, back-to-back, and then tonight was a physical game. So, just got to take care of my body and get ready for the next one.”
Cooper Flagg knows how protective his mother is. She was a basketball standout at the University of Maine, helping the program punch its ticket to four straight NCAA tournaments. While she was his coach, motherly instincts always kicked in when she saw unnecessary behavior towards her son. Kelly even dished out the F bomb during a heated Duke-UNC rivalry game.
Even though today’s injury wasn’t as serious as Cooper had claimed, no mother would like to see her son in this manner. With a blood stain on one side and the other hand being heavily wrapped.
Cooper Flagg’s mother came to his rescue
With Kyrie Irving still sidelined and Anthony Davis shipped away to Washington, Coop remains one bright spark among the injury-ridden season for the Mavs. But even in February, the rookie suffered a left midfoot sprain and missed eight games in the three-week absence. That’s why he missed out on his 4th straight Rookie of the Month award. While he is making his own legacy, the comparisons are bound to happen.
“Can we stop with the comparisons and just let Cooper be Cooper? He’s striving to be the best version of himself every day. Of course there are facets of his game that may remind you of players who have come before. He’s a student of the game, and he’s learning quickly,” tweeted Kelly Flagg. Some compared the 19-year-old with Luka Doncic. While some drew a similarity with LeBron James.
She must have seen her son react differently to these statements, and that’s why she shut down any such narrative on social media. Mrs. Flagg had no problem jumping in to make a save for her son. But this time, her help wasn’t needed.
