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Cooper Flagg stops interview to cheer for drafting of Kon Knueppel

Grant Grubbs Profile Pictureby:Grant Grubbs•7 hours ago•

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Cooper Flagg reacts to Kon Knueppel NBA Draft
© Rich Barnes-Imagn Images

Cooper Flagg and Kon Knueppel won’t be teammates next season in the NBA, but they’ll never lose their connection. On Wednesday, Flagg paused an interview with Taylor Rooks to cheer on Knueppel after he was drafted by the Charlotte Hornets with the No. 4 overall pick.

Flagg and Knueppel were more than teammates at Duke, they were roommates. The freshman pair were together from Day 1 on campus and didn’t separate until the Blue Devils’ loss at the Final Four.

Their friendship translated into immense success on the court. The pair played off each other beautifully, with Flagg constantly finding Knueppel for open buckets from deep, while Knueppel never failed to return the favor.

Cooper Flagg ended the season as one of the most decorated freshman in college basketball history. He was named the ACC Player of the Year, the AP Player of the Year and the Naismith College Player of the Year. Additionally, Flagg won the Julius Erving Award and the Lute Olson Award.

Knueppel didn’t make nearly as much history but he was the best sidekick in the country. He reeled in a Second-Team All-ACC selection. Moreover, he was named the ACC Tournament MVP for leading the Blue Devils to a conference tourney title when Flagg was out with an injury. In fact, Knueppel credits his performance during the tournament for his draft stock’s rise.

“I think a lot of it helped with the ACC tournament when Cooper was out,” Knueppel said. “So being able to see me in a scenario where I’m the guy for a couple of games. And then just kind of carrying that over into the NCAA Tournament, I think that helped.

“But then, I mean I don’t really know, I haven’t played in front of anybody other than my team workouts I’ve been doing. So I guess I made a decent impression in some of my interviews.”

With Flagg and Knueppel leading the charge, Duke reached the Final Four before ultimately suffering a heartbreaking loss against Houston. On Wednesday, Flagg and Knueppel became the first pair of Duke players to be drafted in the Top 5 in the same year since Zion Williamson and RJ Barrett in 2019.

Duke has had no shortage of alumni turn into stars in the NBA in recent years. If Flagg and Knueppel are lucky they’ll be the latest to join the ranks of players like Jayson Tatum, Brandon Ingram and Kyrie Irving.