Former Duke stars Cooper Flagg and Kon Knueppel were both projected to be NBA lottery picks, and both players were top-five selections in the 2025 draft
Flagg went No. 1 overall to the Dallas Mavericks, and Knueppel No. 4 overall to the Charlotte Hornets. So when they saw their respective NBA Summer League schedules, they both likely had July 14 circled.
The Mavericks and Hornets met on Monday night, and though Flagg didn’t play—Dallas made the decision over the weekend to bench him for the rest of the Summer League (likely to avoid injury risk)—that didn’t stop him from sharing a special embrace with his former Blue Devils teammate.
The Duke men’s basketball account posted a video on X of Flagg and Knueppel sharing an embrace in the handshake line after the game with the caption: “Kon 🤝 Coop @NBASummerLeague.”
It was the first meeting the two teammates had since getting drafted nearly three weeks ago. The two will likely see each other a few times during the regular season as well; the Mavericks and Hornets play each other twice a year.
Charlotte got the better on Monday’s meeting, cruising to an 87-69 victory. While Flagg watched from the bench in street clothes, Knueppel put on an admirable performance.
The 19-year-old guard recorded a double-double (16 points, 10 rebounds) along with four assists, a block, and a steal in 6 minutes of action. He was the game’s leading scorer right behind teammate KJ Simpson, who logged 18 points and seven assists.
Both Flagg and Knueppel had standout freshmen seasons at Duke last year.
The 19-year-old Flagg, who averaged a team-high 19.2 points per game along with 7.5 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 1.4 steals, and 1.4 blocks per contest, was named the National College Player of the Year and ACC Player of the Year while also winning the Lute Olson, Julius Erving, and Wayman Tisdale awards.
