“One of My Brothers”: Cooper Flagg’s Heartfelt Endorsement of Khaman Maluach Captures a Duke Reunion in the Desert
“He’s one of my brothers. We had an incredible year last year, and we spent a lot of time together away from the court… I have no doubt that he’s going to be a great pro for a long time.”
The words came not from a press conference podium, but from the visiting locker room at Phoenix’s Mortgage Matchup Center, where Cooper Flagg had just dropped 27 points, five rebounds, and two assists in a losing effort.
On the other side of that same arena, dressed in street clothes and cheering from the bench, was his former Duke teammate Khaman Maluach. The two 19-year-olds didn’t share the court Tuesday night Maluach remains on the fringes of Phoenix’s rotation .
Flagg’s public endorsement of his fellow Blue Devil is not merely ceremonial. It is a testament to a friendship that has quietly become one of the more compelling subplots in this rookie class a reminder that for all the talk of rivalries and lottery odds.
The Duke Ties That Bind
The 2024-25 Duke Blue Devils were supposed to be special. With a freshman class headlined by Flagg the most hyped prospect since Zion Williamson and featuring the sharpshooting of Kon Knueppel.
They delivered. Duke finished 31-3, swept the ACC regular season and tournament titles for the first time since 2006, and earned a No. 1 seed in the East Region . Flagg was the engine averaging 18.9 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 4.1 assists while leading the team in every major statistical category but Maluach was the fulcrum.
The season ended earlier than hoped a Final Four loss to Houstonbut the foundation laid in those nine months has proven remarkably durable .
Two Paths to the Same Dream
The 2025 NBA Draft was, in many ways, Duke’s night. Flagg went first overall to Dallas, fulfilling a prophecy that had trailed him since high school. Knueppel was selected third by Charlotte. And Maluach, after a winding journey through a seven-team trade, landed in Phoenix at No. 10 .
Their rookie seasons, however, have traced dramatically different arcs.
Suns coach Jordan Ott has emphasized patience. “No. 1 is strength,” Ott said of Maluach’s development plan. “His spirit is one of one. He’s 19 years old. He’s coming along at a good pace” .
Beyond Basketball: The Man Behind the Prospect
To understand why Flagg’s praise carries unusual weight, one must understand Khaman Maluach’s story and why it inspires such profound respect from those who know him.
Maluach was born in Rumbek, South Sudan, a region ravaged by civil war. He fled the country with his family as a young child, the exact year of his departure lost to memory and displacement. “I don’t remember anything moving to Uganda,” he said recently. “All I know is that I grew up in Uganda” .
“I have no doubt that he’s going to be a great pro for a long time,” Flagg said. “But he’s just one of my brothers and an incredible human being above everything else” .
The Brotherhood Endures
The NBA is often described as a league of superstars, a place where individual brilliance determines championships and legacies. But it is also a league of relationships of high school teammates.
Cooper Flagg and Khaman Maluach are not the first Duke teammates to carry their bond into the pros. They will not be the last. But in an era where athlete commentary is often filtered through agents and media training, Flagg’s unguarded, heartfelt endorsement stands out.
Maluach did not play Tuesday night. He may not play much for the Suns this season. But he has something that no box score can capture and no trade can revoke.