Cooper Flagg on Kon Knueppel: 'I was watching him as a fan'
Cooper Flagg beat out former Duke teammate Kon Knueppel for the NBA Rookie of the Year award by 26 votes.
It was never going to be a runaway victory by Cooper Flagg or Kon Knueppel in the NBA Rookie of the Year award race. Flagg ended up beating out his former Duke teammate and roommate by a mere 26 votes for the award, the second-closest vote since 2002-03. The Dallas Mavericks star knew it was going to be a tight battle between him and Knueppel.
"I see the games every night. I can check the box scores," Flagg said. "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. " Only the race between Scottie Barnes and Evan Mobley in 2021-22 for Rookie of the Year had a closer finish, with Barnes winning by 15 votes.
It was an historic season for both former Duke standouts. Flagg joined an exclusive list of Larry Bird, Michael Jordan and Luka Doncic in rookies who averaged at least 20 points, six rebounds and four assists, while Knueppel hit 273 three pointers, an NBA record for a rookie. This article originally appeared on Duke Wire: Cooper Flagg on Kon Knueppel: 'I was watching him as a fan'