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Kon Knueppel listened to his name quite early during the NBA draft on Wednesday night.
The Charlotte Hornets selected former Duke Blue Devils star with selection No. 4. It was three selections after his teammate, Cooper Flagg, was taken No. 1 by the Dallas Mavericks.
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Kon Knueppel, on the right, meets the NBA Commissioner, Adam Silver, after being selected as the fourth selection by the Charlotte Hornets in the first round of the NBA Draft of 2025 at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York, on June 25, 2025. (Brad Penner-Imagn images)
Knueppel was with his brothers while talking with ESPN after the selection and praised the Lord to become a professional.
“I want to say that it is a blessing of God to be able to enter the NBA, but being able to share it with his family is beyond understanding. It is such a special moment for us and me,” he said.
Kash Knueppel was one of Kon’s four brothers who was with him on the night of the draft. He was asked to promote his brother.
“It’s amazing. It is a blessing of God. It will have fun, every minute. It will be incredible to see him from home,” he said.
The Duke Blue Devils guard, Kon Knueppel, #7, during a practice session for the Final Four of the NCAA 2025 tournament in Alamodome in San Antonio on April 4, 2025. (Bob Donnan-Imagn images)
Mavericks Select Cooper Flagg with the superior selection in the NBA Draft of 2025 after the controversial lottery
Kon Knuppel briefly mentioned his Christian faith in an interview with rivals in February 2023. He said it was a great reason why Virginia was considering at that time before he finally decided to join Duke. Tony Bennett was the chief coach of the Cavaliers at that time.
“I told a couple of people, but when I was visiting there, coach (Tony) Bennett said he wanted him to know that Virginia is a program based on faith,” he said at that time. “That is something that is trapped, being a Christian.
“That is something really important for me, so it was incredible to listen and something that I don’t always hear. They also have an excellent and excellent program. They have been the best at the ACC for a long time.”
Archive – Duke Guard/Forward Kon Knueppel, #7, shoots on Syracuse JJ Starling’s guard, #2, during the first half of a University Basketball Party of the NCAA in Syracuse, New York, on Wednesday, February 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Adrian Kraus, Archive)
Knueppel played a season at Duke. He averaged 14.4 points and 4 rebounds per game.
