Kon Knueppel Shares Revelation About Rooming With Cooper Flagg at Duke

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Nathan Dougherty | Last updated Jul 21, 2025 12:59 AM ET

Kon Knueppel and Cooper Flagg began their NBA careers this year, with the former Duke teammates both landing in the Top 5 of this year's draft.

Flagg went to the Dallas Mavericks at No. 1 overall, while Knueppel was taken by the Charlotte Hornets at No. 4. The pair will be rivals the next time they meet on the court, but Knueppel has some fond memories of the time they spent together as teammates with the Blue Devils.

Knueppel opened up about playing and rooming with Flagg, saying the freshman phenom was mostly quiet and considerate as a roommate -- with one notable exception. In an interview with Bleacher Report's Taylor Rooks, Knueppel revealed that Flagg got a bit boisterous when his brothers visited.

“He was great,” Knueppel told Rooks. “I don’t, the only time he was loud was when his brother Hunter and Ace would come over. And they were, I came over once, and Ace was just chilling in my bed so the only complaints I’d have were about those guys. Um, I have nothing bad to say about Cooper.”

Flagg attracted some viral attention for his excitement when Knueppel had his name called at the NBA draft, with Knueppel saying the two remain close and are rooting for each other to succeed in the league.

"He actually cares for me and wants me to have success. And we feel that way about each other," Knueppel said.

“But to see someone so excited for someone else’s success, you don’t see that all the time… that was really cool. I got a little choked up when I saw for the first time. That was a special thing.”

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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