For the last two games, Mavericks rookie Cooper Flagg has shot less than 30% from the field. He also scored just 12 points as the Minnesota Timberwolves were physically imposing. At this time, his mother, Kelly Flagg, came to his defense and had a back-and-forth to set the record straight.

Breaking down the Flagg’s impact against Wolves, Kevin Gray, host of the DLLS Mavs Podcast, acknowledged that the rookie was holding his shoulder and limping. In fact, the beat writer, Ron Harrod Jr., even tweeted, “Cooper Flagg is grabbing his side. He was also hobbling earlier.” To which Kelly Flagg came to her son’s rescue and wrote, “This is ridiculous how he gets thrown around and never gets a call.”

Kelly Flagg was crystal clear in her assessment that her son is feeling a lot of the brunt of overly physical display in his rookie year. But Ron Harrod Jr. had another take, which didn’t go down well with Cooper Flagg’s mother. “If you ever play AAU, there were five billion Mama Flaggs out there that were like fighting the ref to the death. So, I mean, I don’t even think she’s that, you know, different in that way. I’ve seen it a thousand times.”

She tweeted, “I actually was coaching their EYBL team and fighting the refs from there!”

So, Kelly Flagg is not like other supportive mothers who watch their kids from the stands. She was a former standout at the University of Maine who helped lead the program to four straight NCAA tournament appearances. Using that experience, she coached her son and till today continues to guide Coop. So, her assessment is not just personal but is the voice of someone who has truly put sweat, blood, and tears on the hardwood.

There were certain calls in the 124-94 loss to the Timberwolves that didn’t go Cooper Flagg’s way. He took a hard accidental backhand from Rudy Gobert while tracking the ball in the air. The physicality continued in the second quarter when Flagg absorbed another bump from a Wolves defender. That’s why the Mavs rookie could only score 12 points on 5-of-19 shooting after starting 1 for 10.

Even teammates came to his support, but with a reality check. “I feel like it helps him understand how physical it gets around postseason play,” Gafford said of Flagg. “Every night you’re going to have the best defender on you, teams trying to get into your airspace and make everything tough.” So, the message is clear not be afraid of physically dominating matchups.

Cooper Flagg’s mom already vented her frustration

Kelly Flagg’s frustration is not based on just a few plays during a game. Last Wednesday against the Denver Nuggets, with 46.3 seconds left in Q4, the 19-year-old rookie came crashing down while trying to catch a long pass. The landing was awkward and hard as Cooper Flagg took a hit on both his left elbow and right wrist.

In fact, there was blood on his jersey as his left elbow was gashed and his right arm was swollen and had to be iced up. Even Brad Townsend of the Dallas Morning News wrote on X that it was for the best that Kelly Flagg didn’t see this injury. “Probably best that mom didn’t see the bloody jersey and heavily wrapped hand.”

Cooper Flagg’s mother, who has more of this throughout the season, tweeted, “Every game 😢.” It’s clear that her reactions are based on plays where her son is clearly taking a hit. So, when the DLLS Mavs crew stated otherwise, Kelly Flagg set the record straight.