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Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated
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Blake Silverman

Hornets Rookie Kon Knueppel Smashes NBA Record With Latest Sharp-Shooting Feat

Kon Knueppel continues to shine in his rookie season with the Hornets. In year one, the Duke product is already one of the NBA’s shooters, which he enforced Tuesday night by making NBA history once again.

He became the fastest player to reach 200 three-pointers, hitting the mark in just his 58th NBA game. He set the mark after also becoming the fastest player to reach 100 threes, draining his 100th triple in his 29th game back in December, 12 ahead of the previous record holder Lauri Markkanen.

On Tuesday against the Bulls, he made his 200th and 201st three-pointers of the season on back-to-back possessions.

Kings wing Keegan Murray holds the record for most threes by a rookie with 206, according to Stathead. Murray needed 77 games to hit his 200th three, with Knueppel reaching the total 18 games earlier. Duncan Robinson hit his 200th three in his 69th career game, but he played just 15 games while on a two-way contract during his rookie season with the Heat.

After Charlotte’s 131–99 win over Chicago Tuesday, Knueppel needs just six more threes to break Murray’s rookie record. With 23 games left on the Hornets’ regular-season schedule, he’ll accomplish that with plenty of time to spare.

Knueppel and former Duke teammate Cooper Flagg are the frontrunners for Rookie of the Year honors. Flagg may be the favorite, averaging 20.4 points, 6.6 rebounds and 4.1 assists per game after the Mavericks made him the top pick in the 2025 NBA draft. Knueppel has a strong case himself, however, scoring 19.2 points per game and shooting 43.5% from three on eight attempts per game for the Hornets who are fighting for a spot in the Eastern Conference play-in tournament.

The star Charlotte rookie leads the entire NBA in three-pointers made this season, 11 threes in front of Cleveland superstar guard Donovan Mitchell. With Knueppel’s latest feat, it’s only a matter of time until his next record-setting game.


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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Hornets Rookie Kon Knueppel Smashes NBA Record With Latest Sharp-Shooting Feat.

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