NBA: Mavs' Cooper Flagg narrowly wins ROY over Kon Knueppel

Cooper Flagg of the Dallas Mavericks was named the 2025-26 NBA Rookie of the Year on Monday after one of the closest votes in recent history.

A 100-member global media panel selected Flagg over Kon Knueppel of the Charlotte Hornets by a 412-386 margin. Flagg received 56 first-place votes, while Knueppel earned 44.

Flagg, who also received the Wilt Chamberlain Trophy, said he closely followed Knueppel’s performances throughout the season, noting their strong bond as former teammates at Duke. Despite their friendship, Flagg acknowledged the competitive nature of the race.

VJ Edgecombe of the Philadelphia 76ers finished third with 96 points, followed by Dylan Harper of the San Antonio Spurs and Cedric Coward of the Memphis Grizzlies, who were the only other players to receive votes.

The No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 NBA Draft, Flagg lived up to expectations by leading all rookies with 21.0 points per game. He also ranked second in assists (4.5) and third in rebounds (6.7) among first-year players.

“This is a truly great honor,” Flagg said in a statement. “I’m grateful to receive this award and thankful to everyone in the Mavericks organization who believed in me from Day 1. None of this happens without my teammates, coaches and the people around me pushing me every day.”

Flagg became just the fourth rookie since the NBA-ABA merger to average at least 20 points, six rebounds and four assists per game, joining Larry Bird, Michael Jordan and Luka Doncic.

At 19 years and 112 days old as of April 12, Flagg is the second-youngest player to win the award, behind LeBron James, who earned the honor in the 2003-04 season.

Knueppel also had a standout rookie campaign, leading the league with 273 three-pointers, surpassing the previous rookie record by 67. He averaged 18.5 points per game, ranking third on the Hornets behind Brandon Miller and LaMelo Ball.

The result marked one of the tightest races in recent years, though it fell just short of the narrowest margin under the current voting format, when Scottie Barnes edged Evan Mobley in the 2021-22 season. -Field Level Media/Reuters