Mainers to Celebrate Cooper Flagg at Draft Night Watch Parties

Newport, Maine native Cooper Flagg is expected to be the No. 1 pick in the NBA Draft on Wednesday night, and when Commissioner Adam Silver takes the stage at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York, to announce the top pick, many in Flagg's home state will be watching as his name is called.

Some Mainers will even gather at watch parties to celebrate Flagg's accomplishment.

Here's a quick look at some of the watch parties taking place in Maine on draft night.

Nokomis Regional High

Students and staff at Flagg's former high school in Newport will come together to celebrate Flagg's achievement and watch him get drafted into the NBA.

Flagg, along with his twin brother Ace and older brother Hunter, led the school to a Class A state title in 2022.

The event is geared toward the school community, and guests were asked to RSVP one week before the draft.

Maine Shore Solutions/Sebasticook Valley Chamber of Commerce

Its event page on Facebook says the watch party will take place at 77 High Street in Newport at "Maine Shore Marinas/Hamlins marine on Sebasticook Lake!"

The event starts at 4 p.m. and will include the Brick and Embers pizza truck, the Sawyer's Hawaiian Shave Ice truck, boat rides by Hamlin's Marine, seaplane rides above Sebasticook Lake, a HORSE basketball tournament, a foul shooting contest, face painting, and a bounce house.

Organizers say the event is free. Donations are welcome, with 100 percent of the proceeds going to local youth sports programs.

The Grove wedding venue and events center

The Grove is located at 496 Stetson Road in Newport.

The event begins at 6 p.m.

"We'll kick off the festivities with delicious Twisted Pretzel and refreshing local favorites from Mossy Ledge Spirits, who have graciously pledged to donate 10% of their sales to the Ronald McDonald House—a charity near and dear to the hearts of the Flagg family," The Grove says on the event's Facebook page.

Ronald McDonald House Charities of Maine, In Flagg We Trust, and Rivalries

The event will start at 7 p.m. and take place at Rivalries sports bar, which is located at 2 Hat Trick Drive in Falmouth.

The event listing on Facebook says that 100 percent of the proceeds will benefit Ronald McDonald House Charities of Maine.

"While the restaurant will remain open to the public, a designated VIP area will be reserved exclusively for our ticket holders," the event's Facebook listing says. "Raffle tickets will be available for purchase by the public at $5 each, and your purchased ticket includes 2 complimentary raffle tickets!"

Ticket holders will also enjoy some delicious food served up by Rivalries and receive an exclusive Cooper Flagg Draft Party T-shirt.

Following one season at Duke, Flagg is expected to be drafted by the Dallas Mavericks with the first pick in the draft.

The opening round of the draft begins Wednesday, June 25, at 8 p.m. and can be seen on ABC/ESPN.

The second round will get underway Thursday at 8 p.m.

Here Are All the Awards Maine's Cooper Flagg Won at Duke

Newport native Cooper Flagg had one of the best freshman seasons we have ever seen in college basketball. Here's a closer look at the awards the Duke forward won.

Gallery Credit: Chris Sedenka