Cooper Flagg tops Kon Knueppel for ROY honors in tight raceTim MacMahonApr 27, 2026, 07:20 PM ETClose
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Teenage sensation Cooper Flagg won NBA Rookie of the Year on Monday, narrowly defeating his former Duke roommate Kon Knueppel for the honor.
Flagg edged out Knueppel by 26 points in the voting by a panel of 100 media members. Flagg received 56 first-place votes with the rest going to Knueppel.
Flagg had 44 second-place votes, while Knueppel received 55 second-place votes and one third-place vote.
“I was watching Kon just because that’s one of my brothers,” Flagg reported on NBC after the honor was declared. “We have that connection and we’re always going to be there for each other.
“I was watching him as a fan as well, but there’s also going to be that competition at the same time.”
The 26-point voting gap between Flagg and Knueppel is the second smallest between the top finishers in a Rookie of the Year race since the current voting format began in 2002-03, according to the NBA. Only the race between Scottie Barnes (378 points) and Evan Mobley (363) in 2021-22 had a smaller gap.
Flagg, the No. 1 pick in last year’s draft, averaged 21.0 points, 6.7 rebounds and 4.5 assists for the Dallas Mavericks, joining Larry Bird, Michael Jordan and Luka Doncic as the only rookies to average at least 20 points, six rebounds and four assists in the 50 seasons since the NBA-ABA merger. Flagg led all rookies in scoring, ranked second among qualifiers in assists and third in rebounds.
Rookie of the Year VotingThe 26-point gap between the top two finishers for Rookie of the Year is the second smallest since the current voting format began in 2002-03, according to the NBA.
Player1st2nd3rdTotalCooper Flagg56440412Kon Knueppel44551386V. J. Edgecombe019396Dylan Harper0055Cedric Coward0011Knueppel, the No. 4 pick, averaged 18.5 points, 5.3 rebounds and 3.5 assists while shattering the rookie record for 3-pointers made with a league-leading 273. He played a major role in a midseason turnaround for the Charlotte Hornets, who made a 25-win improvement from last season to finish 44-38 before being eliminated in the Eastern Conference play-in round.
Flagg’s anticipation of immediately playing for a playoff contender did not materialize, as injuries derailed the Mavericks’ season before they traded 10-time All-Star Anthony Davis to the Washington Wizards in a move motivated by creating financial flexibility for a long term build around the rookie.
Dallas finished 26-56 as Flagg joined Jordan as the only rookies in NBA history to lead their teams in scoring, rebounding, assists and steals. He was the only player in the NBA to lead his team in each of those categories this season.
Flagg, who turned 19 on Dec. 21, had a historic season for a teenager. He became the youngest player in NBA history to have games of 35, 40, 45 and 50 points, as well as the youngest to have at least 10 assists.
The 6-foot-9 Flagg, who opened his career as a point guard after never before playing the position, recorded three of the four 45-point performances by a teenager in league history. Doncic (five) and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (four) were the only players in the league with more 45-point games this season.
Flagg set the single-game scoring record for a teen with 49 points in a Jan. 29 loss to the Hornets — a spectacular duel with Knueppel, who had a season-high 34 points that night — and then broke it by scoring 51 in an April 3 loss to the Orlando Magic.
Flagg also had six games with at least 30 points, five rebounds and five assists, one more than the rest of the rookie class combined.
