Kon Knueppel shows why Hornets believe in him after impressive NBA debut

Hornets rookie and fourth overall pick in the 2025 NBA draft, Kon Knueppel, made his NBA debut on Wednesday night at The Hive, earning a spot in the team’s starting lineup for Charlotte’s season opener against the Brooklyn Nets.

“It was really fun to get out there for the first time. I got the full NBA experience with getting my
hand caught in the cookie jar there on some of those pick-and-rolls," Knueppel explained of his first NBA game experience. "It was just a blast to be out there with the guys.”

Knueppel was one of nine Hornets players to finish the game scoring in double figures, setting a franchise record. Kon, along with fellow rookie Ryan Kalkbrenner, was 2 of the 9 players to do so, combining for 21 points and 16 rebounds.

“It was kind of like a potluck tonight, everybody was eating," Knueppel joked. "Everybody is playing unselfishly. How many guys did we have in double figures? Nine? That’s winning basketball. That’s how it’s supposed to be played. So, hopefully we can keep that going.”

Head coach Charles Lee was also impressed with the impact his rookies had. "It was a great learning experience, and I’m not surprised by the impact they made. They earned the opportunity to be out there."

Lee also expressed how impactful the entire rookie group has been since they arrived in Charlotte. “We celebrated all four rookies today. It’s cool when you get your first NBA victory, especially to do it here at Spectrum Center in front of our great fans. They [the rookies] have made an
impact from day one with their work ethic and who they are as people. It was cool to see them
able to impact the game today in a lot of different ways."

A sellout crowd of 19,516 was on hand to witness the Hornets’ first win of the season, something that Knueppel took notice of. “I thought the crowd was awesome. They gave us a lot of juice tonight. We felt the energy right away and it was pretty special.”