DALLAS — Cooper Flagg’s road to the NBA wasn’t typical. The kid from small-town Maine has been chasing a dream that forced him to grow up faster than most — and his story is just getting started in Dallas.

At 15, Flagg left home to attend Florida’s powerhouse prep school Montverde Academy, the same place that helped launch NBA stars like Ben Simmons and Cade Cunningham.

It was a huge leap for a teenager still figuring out who he was.

“Moving away from home at a young age, just learning how to live on your own,” Flagg said. “It’s not always going to be perfect. I went through times where I struggled at living on my own and doing different things that my parents used to do for me back home. Just living through failure and learning from it.”

Those lessons stuck, especially the ones he lea

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