Former Duke teammates leading NBA Rookie of the Year race

BY ALEJANDRO LOPEZ

About a year ago, Cooper Flagg and Kon Knueppel were dominating college basketball for coach Jon Scheyer and the Duke Blue Devils.

On Thursday, the two NBA rookies are competing head-to-head in a matchup between the Dallas Mavericks and Charlotte Hornets as the leading candidates for the NBA Rookie of the Year award.

Flagg has shown flashes of being the ideal modern NBA wing. At 6-foot-9 the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft does everything on both ends of the floor.