Cooper Flagg wins NBA Rookie of the year over former Duke teammate Kon Knueppel
Cooper Flagg won the 2026 NBA Rookie of the Year award over former Duke teammate Kon Knueppel in one of the closest votes in history, despite playing for a struggling Dallas Mavericks team. Flagg set multiple records as a teenager, including becoming the first rookie since Michael Jordan to lead his team in points, rebounds, assists, and steals. Knueppel led all rookies in 3-pointers and helped the Charlotte Hornets improve by 25 wins. The two former teammates finished first and second in rookie scoring, with Flagg ultimately edging out Knueppel by 26 points in the voting.
- ▪Cooper Flagg became the first rookie since Michael Jordan in 1984-85 to lead his team in points, rebounds, assists, and steals.
- ▪Kon Knueppel set a rookie record with 273 made 3-pointers and helped the Charlotte Hornets win 44 games.
- ▪Flagg and Knueppel were the first former college teammates to finish first and second in rookie scoring since UConn's Emeka Okafor and Ben Gordon in 2004-05.
- ▪The Rookie of the Year vote was decided by just 26 points, with 100 media members voting using a 5-3-1 scoring system.
- ▪Flagg, at 19, became the first teenager to score 50 points in a game and recorded multiple 45-point games as a rookie.
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