Cooper Flagg proves the Duke connection never dies with this quote on Khaman Maluach

The Blue Devils didn't win a National Championship last year, but they still had the season of a lifetime, and that was due, in large part, to the starting lineup, all five of whom went on to become first or second-round picks in the 2025 NBA Draft.

Since then, those five former Blue Devils have made names for themselves in the league in their own way, highlighted by Cooper Flagg and Kon Knueppel's unbelievable success in their rookie seasons.

However, since almost every one of them was drafted to a different franchise, their rookie season's have also had them crossing paths with one another, but that hasn't turned them into enemies, despite sitting on opposite benches.

The sentiment of "Brotherhood" runs deep at Duke, and when Flagg recently played against Khaman Maluach, one of the other former Blue Devil rookies, he expressed that exact sentiment.

Cooper Flagg still views Khaman Maluach as a 'brother'

"He's one of my brothers. Obviously, we had a great, incredible year last year together, and we spent a lot of time together, away from the court, just getting really close," Flagg said after the game. "He's someone that I'll look at as one of my brothers for the rest of my life, and I'm so proud of him."

Maluach plays for the Phoenix Suns, while Flagg is on the Dallas Mavericks' roster, and the two teams have had shockingly different success rates, despite Flagg's record-setting season.

So far, the Suns have gone 32-23 overall, including the win over Dallas when the two met earlier this week. Meanwhile, Flagg and the Mavs have gone 19-34 and are just six spots away from being dead last in the entire NBA.

In the meeting between the former Blue Devils, Flagg racked up his usual impressive stats with 27 points, five rebounds, two assists, and one steal. Maluach didn't play, per a coach's decision, but the two still made sure to connect after the game.