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Kon Knueppel heard his name called fairly early during the NBA Draft on Wednesday night.
The Charlotte Hornets selected the former Duke Blue Devils star with the No. 4 pick. He went three picks after his teammate, Cooper Flagg, was taken No. 1 by the Dallas Mavericks.
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Kon Knueppel, right, stands with NBA commissioner Adam Silver after being selected as the fourth pick by the Charlotte Hornets in the first round of the 2025 NBA Draft at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York, on June 25, 2025. (Brad Penner-Imagn Images)
Knueppel was with his brothers as he spoke to ESPN following the selection and praised the Lord for being able to turn professional.
“I mean it’s such a blessing from God to be able to enter the NBA, but to be able to share it with your family is beyond comprehension. It’s such a special moment for us and for me,” he said.
Kash Knueppel was one of Kon’s four brothers who was with him on draft night. He was asked to hype up his brother.
“It’s awesome. It’s a blessing from God. He’ll have fun – every minute of it. It’ll be awesome to watch him from home,” he said.
Duke Blue Devils guard Kon Knueppel, #7, during a practice session for the Final Four of the 2025 NCAA tournament at Alamodome in San Antonio on April 4, 2025. (Bob Donnan-Imagn Images)
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Kon Knuppel briefly mentioned his Christian faith in an interview with Rivals in February 2023. He said it was a big reason why he was considering Virginia at the time before he ultimately decided to join Duke. Tony Bennett was the head coach of the Cavaliers at the time.
“I’ve told a couple of people this, but when I went on my visit there, coach (Tony) Bennett said that he wanted me to know that Virginia is a faith-based program,” he said at the time. “That’s something that’s stuck with me, being a Christian.
“That’s something that’s really important to me, so that was awesome to hear and something I don’t always hear. They’ve also got a great, great program. They’ve been the best in the ACC for a long time now.”
FILE – Duke guard/forward Kon Knueppel, #7, shoots over Syracuse guard J.J. Starling, #2, during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game in Syracuse, New York, on Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Adrian Kraus, File)
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Knueppel played one season at Duke. He averaged 14.4 points and 4 rebounds per game.
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