Giannis Antetokounmpo is arguably the biggest star the Milwaukee Bucks have ever produced. While technically, NBA legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is also a former Bucks player, he mostly built his legendary career with the Los Angeles Lakers.
That said, Antetokounmpo arguably takes the top spot as the best Bucks player in history. However, there’s an up-and-comer, who’s a Milwaukee native, currently playing in the league that Giannis couldn’t help but give his flowers to.
Giannis Antetokounmpo Acknowledges Kon Knueppel’s IQ
During this year’s NBA All-Star Weekend, Antetokounmpo had the opportunity to catch up with Charlotte Hornets rookie Kon Knueppel. While Cooper Flagg is often seen as the best prospect from the 2025 NBA Draft, Knueppel is on par with the Dallas Mavericks’ rookie.
Knueppel is currently in second place in the Rookie of the Year race and, at one point, led the ladder entirely. Looking at the Hornets’ rookies’ numbers this season, he’s averaging 18.9 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 3.6 assists. He’s also shooting an impressive 43.1% from beyond the arc.
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Given these factors, his efforts haven’t gone unnoticed as Giannis showed the rookie a lot of love when the two players caught up before the three-point contest last Saturday.
Antetokounmpo took the opportunity to tell Knueppel how he’s one of the very few players who understood how the Greek Freak would dominate the court. Because of that, Giannis dubbed the rookie as one of the smartest he’s ever played against.
“I was watching this interview, and you were talking about what makes Giannis hard to guard,” Antetokounmpo said to Knueppel. “And then you said, ‘He does the spin real quick.’ I’ve been doing it for 13 years, and it took a rookie to come in and understand what I’ve been doing.”
“You’re probably one of the smartest rookies I’ve ever seen,” Antetokounmpo continued. “The way you play the game. You’re probably one of the most attentive players I’ve seen as a rookie. … You already got it. You’re only going to get better. You haven’t even figured out your spots yet.”
“You’re probably one of the smartest rookies I’ve ever seen.” 💯
Giannis showed love to Milwaukee native Kon Knueppel during NBA All-Star! pic.twitter.com/VV82bgtvsy
— #NBAAllStar (@NBAAllStar) February 17, 2026
This is a huge nod to Knueppel, getting major props from Milwaukee’s star. While technically suiting up for the Hornets, it’s still somewhat bragging rights for Milwaukee, given that the rookie is a native of the city.
Right now, Knueppel and Flagg are neck-and-neck in the rookie ladder. Each week, they always seem to one-up each other, constantly switching places in the top spot of the Rookie of the Year race.
However, we wouldn’t be surprised if Knueppel ended up taking the award by the end of the season. This is only because the Hornets currently have a better chance of making the playoffs this season than the Mavericks do. From a technical standpoint, the Hornets’ rookie should win the award if Dallas fails to make it to the postseason.
