Cooper Flagg wins NBA Rookie of the Year after Kon Knueppel's Play-In Tournament struggles swayed voters
Dallas Mavericks first overall pick Cooper Flagg was named the 2025-26 NBA Rookie of the Year, and it was a thrillingly close vote in the end.
Flagg narrowly beat out Charlotte Hornets’ sharpshooter Kon Knueppel, his fellow Duke Blue Devils star who went three picks later than Flagg in last year’s draft, earning 56 first-place votes compared to Knueppel’s 44. So, Flagg finished with 412 total vote points to Knueppel’s 386.
Philadelphia 76ers guard VJ Edgecombe finished in third place with 96 points (93 third-place votes), while San Antonio Spurs’ Dylan Harper and Memphis Grizzlies Cedric Coward also got third-place votes.
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Flagg marked the second-youngest player to ever win the award, as the 19-year-old was only behind Los Angeles Lakers’ LeBron James.
For most of the season, it appeared Knueppel was going to win the award, but multiple voters came out publicly and said Knueppel’s Play-In Tournament struggles factored into them changing their minds for Flagg.
MAVERICKS' COOPER FLAGG ADMITS ROOKIE SEASON HAS BEEN 'MENTALLY TAXING' AMID THE TEAM'S STRUGGLES
Knueppel had just six points on 2-of-12 shooting in 34 minutes during the Hornets’ electric 127-126 overtime win over the Miami Heat at the start of the tournament. Then, in the 121-90 loss to the Orlando Magic, he shot 3 of 11 for 11 points (4 of 5 from the free-throw line as well), and he posted a minus-26 while on the court.
Flagg noted being keen on what Knueppel was doing during the year, showing love to his fellow rookie.
"I see the games every night. I can check the box scores," he said about watching Knueppel’s stat lines closely, per ESPN. "I think also I was watching Kon just because that’s one of my brothers.
"We had such a good connection, and we’re gonna be there for each other for the rest of our lives. I was watching him as a fan, as well, but there was obviously that competition at the same time."
Flagg averaged 21 points, 6.7 rebounds and 4.5 assists per game this year for the Mavericks. Those numbers had him among some NBA greats, as Larry Bird, Michael Jordan and Luka Doncic were the only rookiesMichael Jordan and Luka Doncic were the only rookies before Flagg to average at least 20 points, six rebounds and four assists since the NBA-ABA merger, ESPN pointed out. Flagg also led all rookies in scoring this season.
As for Knueppel, he dropped 18.5 points per game with 5.3 rebounds and 3.5 assists, but while Flagg had him beat in those categories, he reset the rookie 3-pointers made record with 273. That number also led the NBA this season. Knueppel was also a key piece in the Hornets getting into the Play-In Tournament to begin with, finishing 44-38 before being eliminated by the Magic.
Flagg and the Mavs didn’t fare too well this season, finishing 26-56, though he led the team in scoring, rebounding and assists this season. Despite the losses, Flagg continued to show that age didn’t matter, becoming the youngest player to ever have games with 35, 40, 45 and 50 points.
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