The Charlotte Hornets already know they have one of the best shooters in the NBA in rookie guard Kon Knueppel. The rest of the league got to witness that first-hand at the 2026 3-Point Contest.
Knueppel is the only rookie in the 2026 shootout and represented himself well in the first round. The 20-year-old put up 27 points in his first-ever 3-Point competition to take an early lead and punch his ticket to the final round.
Kon Knueppel kicked off the 3-PT Contest 1st round with a strong 27 points 🔥pic.twitter.com/iftC0I2uU7 https://t.co/g8xEWy35Ww
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) February 14, 2026
Article Continues Below
Knueppel's 27 points were only bested by Devin Booker, who took the lead in the first round with 30 points. Damian Lillard also posted 27 points to join the final trio.
Knueppel entered the All-Star break hitting 43.1 percent of his three-point attempts. He has been consistent from deep all season long, connecting on over 40 percent of his long-distance shots in all but one month this season.
This is a developing story.