Duke Star Cooper Flagg's Mom Says Her Wild Celebration Was 'a Big F-You' to 'Classless' UNC Fans

Mar. 15, 2025

Cooper Flagg’s mom “on his head” celebration; Cooper Flagg.Photo:ESPN/TIktok; Grant Halverson/Getty

ESPN/TIktok; Grant Halverson/Getty

Cooper Flagg’s mom has spoken out about her viral celebration during Duke’s game against the University of North Carolina.

Kelly Bowman Flagg, whose 18-year-old sonCooper is highly regardedas one of the best college basketball players in the country, caught the attention of fans on social media after a wild celebration when the Duke star dunked the ball.

The athlete’s mom was seen on camera yelling, “On his head” while patting the top of her head in celebration. Kelly also appeared to say, “On his f—ing head!”

Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

She said Tar Heels fans “continued to harass us with much worse being spewed in our direction as well as at our 18 year old son and his teammates throughout the entirety of the game.”

Cooper Flagg dunks the ball in a game against the North Carolina Tar Heels on March 8, 2025.Jared C. Tilton/Getty

Jared C. Tilton/Getty

Regarding the “on his head” celebration, Kelly said it was “a moment of being so proud of our kid and also a big F-you to the entire Carolina fan base for being classless a-holes.”

“If you are UNC fan and didn’t like it…tough,” she wrote, adding the poop emoji.

Cooper islargely expectedto be the number one pick in the 2025 NBA Draft in April, should he decide to declare. He can also choose to stay at Duke and continue playing for the Blue Devils before entering the NBA draft.

source: people.com