Duke phenom Kon Knueppel leads Hornets to franchise history before playing NBA game

The Duke Blue Devils were a special team last season, and all five of their starters were selected in the 2025 NBA Draft. Kon Knueppel was taken with the fourth overall pick and delivered the most impressive performance in the Summer League. Klay Thompson even shared a video to Knueppel, saying he was going to take over the league.

“Thanks for the words of trying to model your game after me. It makes me feel kind of old, but also very appreciative of great young athletes like yourself who are coming to take over the league and carry on the torch,” Thompson said.

Thompson is now a teammate of Cooper Flagg, who was Knueppel’s roommate during their time at Duke. According to Knueppel, Flagg made a strong impression both on and off the court.

“He was great,” Knueppel told Bleacher Report’s Taylor Rooks. “I don’t, the only time he was loud was when his brother Hunter and Ace would come over. And they were, I came over once, and Ace was just chilling in my bed so the only complaints I’d have were about those guys. Um, I have nothing bad to say about Cooper.”

Despite suffering an injury the day before the Summer League championship game, Knueppel ended up playing—and leading the Charlotte Hornets to victory. He was named Summer League MVP after an outstanding performance.

“Knueppel did more than play in the championship game. He won it. And he won game MVP. His 21 points, five rebounds, and two assists helped Charlotte squeak by the Kings, who surged toward a comeback in the fourth quarter,” Swarm and Sting’s Jack Simone wrote.

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This wasn’t just Charlotte’s first Summer League Championship—it was the first championship in franchise history. Knueppel helped the Hornets make history before even logging a single minute of regular season action. He’s already proving that Charlotte made the right choice by selecting him with the No. 4 pick.