Cooper Flagg narrowly wins Rookie of the Year over Kon Knueppel
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Dallas Mavericks forward Cooper Flagg, 19, was voted NBA Rookie of the Year on Monday, edging Charlotte Hornets guard Kon Knueppel by 26 points in one of the closest ballots since the league adopted its current system in 2002-03.
A panel of 100 media members awarded Flagg 56 first-place votes and 44 second-place votes. Knueppel collected the remaining 44 first-place ballots, 55 second-place nods and one third-place vote. The 26-point difference is the second-smallest margin under the modern format, surpassed only by the 2021-22 race between Scottie Barnes and Evan Mobley.
Flagg becomes the second-youngest winner in league history, trailing only LeBron James. “I was watching Kon as a fan and a competitor,” Flagg said. “We’re brothers for life.”
Teenage milestones
The 6-foot-9 rookie averaged 21.0 points, 6.7 rebounds and 4.5 assists, joining Larry Bird, Michael Jordan and Luka Doncic as the only first-year players in the past 50 seasons to post at least 20-6-4. He led all rookies in scoring, ranked second in assists and third in rebounds.
Flagg also became the youngest player ever to record 35-, 40-, 45- and 50-point games and the youngest to dish at least 10 assists. He logged three of the four 45-point outings by a teenager in league history and set a teenage single-game scoring record twice, with 49 points on Jan. 29 against Charlotte and 51 on Apr. 3 versus Orlando.
Despite his production, Dallas finished 26-56. Flagg was the only NBA player this season to lead his team in points, rebounds, assists and steals, joining Jordan as the only rookies ever to top their clubs in all four categories. The Mavericks’ playoff hopes faded after injuries and a midseason trade that sent 10-time All-Star Anthony Davis to Washington for future flexibility.
Knueppel’s record shooting fuels Hornets’ surge
Selected fourth overall, Knueppel averaged 18.5 points, 5.3 rebounds and 3.5 assists while breaking the rookie record for made three-pointers with a league-leading 273. His perimeter shooting helped Charlotte improve by 25 wins to 44-38 before falling in the Eastern Conference play-in round.
Source: ESPN
