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Kon Knueppel

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Kon Knueppel
No. 7 – Charlotte Hornets
PositionSmall forward / shooting guard
LeagueNBA
Personal information
Born (2005-08-03) August 3, 2005 (age 19)
Milwaukee, Wisconsin, U.S.
Listed height6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)
Listed weight215 lb (98 kg)
Career information
High schoolWisconsin Lutheran
(Milwaukee, Wisconsin)
CollegeDuke (2024–2025)
NBA draft2025: 1st round, 4th overall pick
Drafted byCharlotte Hornets
Playing career2025–present
Career history
2025–presentCharlotte Hornets
Career highlights
Stats at NBA.com Edit this at Wikidata
Stats at Basketball Reference Edit this at Wikidata

Kon Knueppel II (/kəˈnɪpəl/ kə-NIH-pəl; born August 3, 2005)[1] is an American professional basketball player for the Charlotte Hornets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Duke Blue Devils, and was drafted fourth overall in the 2025 NBA draft by the Hornets.[2]

Early life and high school career

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Knueppel grew up in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and attended Wisconsin Lutheran High School.[3] He averaged 10.8 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 2.2 assists per game during his freshman season with the Wisconsin Lutheran Vikings.[4] Knueppel averaged 19.7 points, 9.2 rebounds, and 3.8 assists per game as a junior.[5] As a senior, he averaged 26.4 points, 8.8 rebounds, and 5.1 assists per game during the regular season and was named Wisconsin Mr. Basketball.[6] He helped Wisconsin Lutheran win the 2024 Boys Basketball Division 2 State Championship against Pewaukee and finish the season with a 30–0 record.[7][8]

Recruiting

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Knueppel was rated a five-star recruit by 247Sports and Rivals and a four-star recruit by ESPN and On3.[9][10] He committed to playing college basketball for Duke over offers from Alabama, Virginia, Wisconsin, Notre Dame, Marquette, and USC among others.[11][12] Knueppel signed a National Letter of Intent to play for the Blue Devils on November 15, 2023, during the early signing period.[13]

College recruiting information
Name Hometown School Height Weight Commit date
Kon Knueppel
SG / SF 		Milwaukee, WI Wisconsin Lutheran (WI) 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 205 lb (93 kg) Sep 21, 2023 
Recruit ratings: Rivals: 5/5 stars   247Sports: 5/5 stars   On3: 4/5 stars   ESPN: 4/5 stars   (89)
Overall recruit ranking:    Rivals: 9    247Sports: 18    On3: 18    ESPN: 19
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, On3, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

  • "Duke 2024 Basketball Commitments". Rivals. Retrieved December 7, 2023.
  • "2024 Duke Blue Devils Recruiting Class". ESPN. Retrieved December 7, 2023.
  • "2024 Team Ranking". Rivals. Retrieved December 7, 2023.

College career

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Knueppel enrolled at Duke University in June 2024 in order to take part in the Blue Devils' summer practices.[14] He made his college basketball debut during Duke's season opener against Maine on November 4, 2024, and tallied 22 points with four rebounds in a 96–62 win.[15] On November 11, 2024, Knueppel earned Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) Rookie of the week honors, after averaging 18.5 points, three rebounds and two assists per game.[16]

On December 21, 2024, Knueppel scored 18 points and grabbed 4 rebounds in a 82–56 win over Georgia Tech.[17] On January 7, 2025, Knueppel recorded 17 points and 4 rebounds in a 76–47 victory against Pittsburgh.[18] On January 14, 2025, Knueppel scored 25 points and dished out 3 assists in a 89–54 win over Miami.[19] On January 25, 2025, Knueppel added 15 points and 8 rebounds in a 63–56 victory against Wake Forest.[20] On January 27, 2025, Knueppel put up 19 points and 6 rebounds in a 74–64 win over NC State.[21] On February 1, 2025, Knueppel scored 22 points in a 87–70 victory against arch-rival North Carolina.[22] On February 17, 2025, Knueppel added 17 points and 7 rebounds in a 80–62 win over Virginia.[23] On February 25, 2025, Knueppel posted 20 points and 5 rebounds in a 97–60 win against Miami.[24]

On March 15, 2025, Knueppel was named ACC tournament MVP as he scored 18 points and grabbed 8 rebounds in Duke‘s 73–62 victory over Louisville in the ACC championship game.[25]

Professional career

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Knueppel was selected with the fourth overall pick by the Charlotte Hornets in the 2025 NBA draft.[26]

In the Summer League he won the NBA Summer League Championship and won the Summer League Championship MVP

Career statistics

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Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game
 FG%  Field goal percentage  3P%  3-point field goal percentage  FT%  Free throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game  APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game
 BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game  Bold  Career high

College

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Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2024–25 Duke 39 39 30.5 .479 .406 .914 4.0 2.7 1.0 .2 14.4

Personal life

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Knueppel is a Christian.[27] He went to grade school and attended church at St. John’s Lutheran of the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod in Wauwatosa, Wisconsin.[28]

Knueppel's father, Kon, played college basketball at Wisconsin Lutheran College and was the school's all-time leading scorer until 2019.[29] His father and his uncles Klint, Klay, and Kole competed in the Gus Macker 3-on-3 Basketball Tournament as a team named the “Flying Knueppel Brothers”.[30] Knueppel's mother, Chari (née Nordgaard), played at Wisconsin-Green Bay and is the school's leading scorer.[31] Knueppel's uncle, Jeff Nordgaard, also played at Wisconsin-Green Bay and played in the NBA for the Milwaukee Bucks and professionally in Europe.[32]

References

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  1. ^ Kon Knueppel (April 4, 2025). This is teammate goals right here. CBS Sports College Basketball. Event occurs at 00:01. Retrieved June 28, 2025 – via TikTok.
  2. ^ Dominski, Michael; et al. (June 26, 2025). "NBA Draft 2025 live updates: Mavericks select Cooper Flagg with first pick, latest news and analysis". The Athletic. Retrieved June 26, 2025.
  3. ^ "Zach Kinziger hopes he can lure Kon Knueppel to Wisconsin". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. August 5, 2023. Retrieved November 30, 2023.
  4. ^ "Recruit updates on Wisconsin 2024 guards Kon Knueppel, Nick Janowski". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. October 21, 2021. Retrieved November 30, 2023.
  5. ^ "Kon Knueppel patiently evaluating his basketball suitors". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. June 11, 2023. Retrieved November 20, 2023.
  6. ^ "Wisconsin Lutheran Duke commit Kon Knueppel named Mr. Basketball WBCA". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. March 13, 2024. Retrieved March 17, 2024.
  7. ^ "2024 Boys Basketball Perfect Season". Wisconsin Lutheran High School. Retrieved November 5, 2024.
  8. ^ Knapinski, Dick. "Wisconsin Lutheran finishes perfect season with Division 2 championship against Pewaukee". WSN. Retrieved November 5, 2024.
  9. ^ Newton, Matt (July 14, 2023). "Five-Star Recruit Kon Knueppel Schedules Second Official Visit to Virginia". SI.com. Retrieved November 30, 2023.
  10. ^ "What Kon Knueppel brings to Duke basketball's 2024 recruiting class". The Fayetteville Observer. September 21, 2023. Retrieved November 30, 2023.
  11. ^ Borzello, Jeff (September 21, 2023). "No. 22 recruit Kon Knueppel commits to Duke basketball". ESPN.com. Retrieved November 20, 2023.
  12. ^ Marks, Brendan; Bass, Tobias (September 21, 2023). "Duke lands commitment from 5-star wing Kon Knueppel: What this means for Blue Devils". The Athletic. Retrieved November 30, 2023.
  13. ^ "Duke basketball coach Jon Scheyer discusses Cooper Flagg, 2024 recruiting class". The Fayetteville Observer. November 16, 2023. Retrieved January 18, 2024.
  14. ^ Giles, Matt (July 4, 2024). "Duke Basketball Freshman Catches Fire During Practice". SI.com. Retrieved July 18, 2024.
  15. ^ DeCock, Luke (November 4, 2024). "Kon Knueppel steals the show from Cooper Flagg in Duke debut". The News & Observer. Retrieved November 5, 2024.
  16. ^ "ACC Unveils First Men's Basketball Weekly Honors for 2024-25 Season". Atlantic Coast Conference. November 11, 2024. Retrieved April 10, 2025.
  17. ^ "Knueppel scores 18 points as No. 5 Duke romps to 82-56 win over Georgia Tech". ESPN.com. Associated Press. December 21, 2024. Retrieved March 19, 2025.
  18. ^ "Cooper Flagg and No. 4 Duke push past Pittsburgh 76-47 to stay unbeaten in ACC". ESPN.com. January 7, 2025. Retrieved March 19, 2025.
  19. ^ "Knueppel leads sharp-shooting attack as No. 3 Duke tops Miami 89-54 to stay unbeaten in ACC". ESPN.com. January 14, 2025. Retrieved April 10, 2025.
  20. ^ "Flagg, No. 2 Duke push past Wake Forest 63-56 to stay unbeaten in ACC". ESPN. January 25, 2025. Retrieved April 10, 2025.
  21. ^ "No. 2 Duke Surges Past NC State, 74-64". Duke Blue Devils. January 27, 2025. Retrieved April 10, 2025.
  22. ^ "No. 2 Duke jumps all over rival North Carolina, rolls to 87-70 win to stay unbeaten in ACC". ESPN.com. February 1, 2025. Retrieved April 10, 2025.
  23. ^ "Flagg has 17 points and 14 rebounds as No. 3 Duke beats Virginia 80-62". ESPN. February 17, 2025. Retrieved April 10, 2025.
  24. ^ "No. 2 Duke rolls past Miami 97-60, gets 25th win of the season". ESPN.com. February 25, 2025. Retrieved April 10, 2025.
  25. ^ Reed, Steve (March 16, 2025). "ACC Tournament MVP Kon Knueppel proves Duke has firepower that goes well beyond Cooper Flagg". Associated Press. Retrieved April 10, 2025.
  26. ^ "Hornets Select Kon Knueppel Fourth Overall In 2025 NBA Draft". NBA.com. June 25, 2025. Retrieved June 25, 2025.
  27. ^ Graf, Travis. "Four-star Kon Knueppel evaluating all of his options". Rivals. Retrieved November 5, 2024.
  28. ^ "Viking Christian Leaders: Humility". Wisconsin Lutheran High School. Retrieved November 5, 2024.
  29. ^ Allan, Lance (February 6, 2023). "Wisconsin Lutheran basketball star upholds his family name as 15 schools hope to recruit him". TMJ4.com. Retrieved November 20, 2023.
  30. ^ Strang, Katie (August 12, 2018). ""It's like a basketball family out there" — an oral history of the Gus Macker tournament". The Athletic. Retrieved December 3, 2023.
  31. ^ "Wisconsin Lutheran's Kon Knueppel, a DI basketball recruit, is guided by parents who were stars as well". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. December 9, 2022. Retrieved November 20, 2023.
  32. ^ "Watching the son rise". Wisconsin State Journal. August 29, 2023. Retrieved November 20, 2023.
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