Hornets' Kon Knueppel singles out 76ers big man for his big NBA moment

Every young player in the NBA has their "Welcome to the league" moment. It's that moment when a rookie really figures out that he is no longer in college and is playing with grown men on the biggest stage of basketball. For Charlotte Hornets rookie Kon Knueppel, his "Welcome to the NBA" moment came in the second game of his career.

He sat down with pro NASCAR driver Dale Earnhardt Jr. and revealed his moment was with Philadelphia 76ers big man Andre Drummond who set a screen and Knueppel ran into him hard. Said Knueppel: Andre Drummond, the big from the Sixers.

He hit me with a nice screen in the 2nd game of the season. That’s a tough one, he’s a big dude. Drummond then responded on Twitter to Knueppel's moment.

😭😭😭sorry rook , at least you only have to see me 4 times out of 82 games ! Plenty more waiting for you — Andre Drummond (@AndreDrummond) May 14, 2026 Drummond averaged 6. 4 points and 8.