"MJ is smiling somewhere": NBA fans react as Kon Knueppel wins Summer League championship MVP and leads Hornets to title

Charlotte Hornets rookie Kon Knueppel bagged the 2025 Summer League MVP award on Sunday in Las Vegas after leading his team to the tournament championship. The Hornets defeated the Sacramento Kings in the final, 83-78, securing a tournament sweep.

Knueppel put up 21 points in the championship-clinching win, along with five rebounds and two assists, to lead the charge for the Hornets. He also drilled a three in the final minute of the fourth quarter to seal the title for the Hornets, earning him the MVP nod.

Knueppel’s performance also earned him praises from NBA fans as they lauded his clutch baskets and performance for the Hornets, whose squad has yet to reach the playoffs in almost a decade.

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Meanwhile, others hoped the Hornets found a gem with Knueppel, who was picked fourth in the 2025 NBA draft.

Knueppel played in five of the team’s six games in the Summer League, averaging 15.6 points, 4.8 rebounds and 3.8 assists per game on 40.6 percent shooting and 34.3 percent from the 3-point line.

Knueppel is a product of Duke University, where he played alongside top pick Cooper Flagg, who now plays for the Dallas Mavericks.

The 19-year-old guard is expected to bolster the Hornets’ young core, which has been bannered by LaMelo Ball and Brandon Miller.

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Kon Knueppel explains how he can contribute to the Hornets in his first season

Picking Kon Knueppel meant another piece for the Hornets’ hopes to return to the playoffs. Kneuppel will also be put alongside LaMelo Ball and Brandon Miller in lineups as the team hopes they will complement each other in the foreseeable future.

Talking to Bleacher Report’s Taylor Rooks, Knueppel explained how he would help the Hornets.

“Obviously LaMelo is a super, super talented player. His ability to create shots for himself off the dribble," Knueppel said. "’I’ve always admired his passing, especially the creativity he passes with, and he seems like he’s a step ahead of the defense. So just being able to space the floor for him, get open, give him some space to create, but also be a guy that he can trust getting the ball to, and also a guy that’s going to be looking for him all the time.” (TS- 4:29 onwards)

With Kon Knueppel’s addition, the Hornets hope to improve from their 19-63 record last season.

Edited by Dipayan Moitra