DURHAM, N.C. (WNCN) — A Duke basketball star is bringing holiday cheer to families staying at the Ronald McDonald House.
Blue Devils guard Cooper Flagg played a little basketball and took photos with some of the young children receiving medical care. With the event taking place Thursday evening in Durham, Flagg and his family finished the night by donating $10,000 to the Ronald McDonald House Charities of the Triangle.
Flagg also shined light on the time his parents stayed at a Ronald McDonald House themselves, providing help when his older brother Hunter was in the hospital as a newborn baby.
“What it means to be able to stay in there for a while just meant everything for our family, my mom, dad, and Hunter, at the time when my parents were going through probably one of the toughest times of their life,” Flagg said. “For them to have that as a resource is just really big for them.”
Hunter Flagg was born prematurely in 2004 and weighed just over 1 lb. His twin brother Ryder died at two days old.
Speaking about the time she spent over 100 days at a Ronald McDonald House in Maine, mother Kelly Flagg said, “After Hunter was born, I said I’m not leaving without him. To have the House and to be able to stay close by, there were times that were sort of perilous during his journey. Being three minutes away instead of an hour and a half was huge.”
CBS 17 also asked the Duke star what he hopes to achieve in the community during what will likely be a short stint in Durham.
“This as well, as the camp I did in the summer, [I’m] trying to give back to the communities that have meant a lot to me and have been really impactful in my life,” Flagg said. “This is something that meant a lot to me, just like the camp I did back in the summer for all the kids in Maine. That sort of thing for me, trying to leave a mark behind where I am and just trying to give back to the community whenever possible.”
