Cooper Flagg named Rookie of the Year over Kon Knueppel

Dallas Mavericks forward Cooper Flagg. Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

Cooper Flagg named Rookie of the Year over Kon Knueppel

Originally posted on Larry Brown Sports
By Matt Wadleigh | Last updated Apr 27, 2026 7:42 PM ET

The votes are in, and Dallas Mavericks star Cooper Flagg has been named the NBA Rookie of the Year, defeating Charlotte Hornets forward and former Duke teammate Kon Knueppel.

Flagg also joins Michael Jordan as the only players in NBA history to lead their teams in total points, rebounds, assists and steals since steals became a stat.

Here are the final votes for the NBA Rookie of the Year Award.

The gap between Flagg and Knueppel was the second-smallest in the current format.

Dallas Mavericks forward Cooper Flagg has been named the 2025-26 Kia NBA Rookie of the Year, earning the Wilt Chamberlain Trophy. pic.twitter.com/FmgY6vTLjx
— NBA Communications (@NBAPR) April 27, 2026

Cooper Flagg: 412 total points, 56 first-place votes
Kon Knueppel: 386 total points, 44 first-place votes
VJ Edgecombe (76ers): 96 total points, 1 second-place vote, 93 third-place votes
Dylan Harper (Spurs): 5 total points and third-place votes
Cedric Coward (Grizzlies): 1 third-place vote

There was a lot of debate between Knueppel and Flagg for the award, but the Mavericks star just beat out Knueppel.

Flagg finished the season averaging 21 points with 6.7 rebounds and 4.5 assists per game, while Knueppel had 18.5 points with 5.3 rebounds and 3.4 assists.

Knueppel made NBA history by setting a new record for threes made in a season by a rookie, and that mark was previously made by Sacramento Kings forward Keegan Murray. Knueppel broke that record at the end of February after hitting his 207th three-pointer.

Still, it was quite the season by both rookies, and the future looks bright for the two former Duke stars.

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

More must-reads: