As the NBA season enters its final month and some rookies look ahead to offseason improvements, Charlotte Hornets rookie guard Kon Knueppel is stepping up and making a difference during the team’s playoff push. The Hornets currently sit at 42-36, eighth in the Eastern Conference, just 1.5 games behind the Toronto Raptors.
Knueppel has averaged 18.8 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 3.4 assists while shooting splits of 48.3% from the field, 43.1% from 3-point range, and 86.5% from the free-throw line. The 6-foot-6 guard has lived up to every expectation the Hornets have heaped upon him and is now seen as a long-term core piece of the team alongside LaMelo Ball and Brandon Miller, as the franchise hopes to build a model of sustained success for the city of Charlotte.
Kon Knueppel’s Trading Card Sells for a Record Price
The No. 4 overall selection of the 2025 NBA Draft has a highly popular rookie card. In fact, one of his rookie cards, a 1-of-1 Superfractor, recently sold for $396,500 during a public trading card auction, according to a post by the official Topps account on X that stated the final sale price and auction details:
“JUST SOLD: Kon Knueppel’s 1-of-1 Superfractor autograph fetched $396,500 at auction, making it the most expensive Kon Knueppel trading card ever.”
Taking his success and rising fame in stride, Knueppel went viral before a Hornets game against the Brooklyn Nets when he displayed his own rookie card, the “2025-2026 Topps Chrome #254 Kon Knueppel RC Refractor,” on both X and Instagram.
Kon Knueppel finds HIS OWN autograph card 🔥 pic.twitter.com/A3soljGoDr
— Topps (@Topps) April 3, 2026
Knueppel said that it was the “second time seeing that card.”
“He pulled a Kon Auto,” the fan, identified as @ethan.filder29, said after he saw Knueppel pull out his own card.
Inside Kon Knueppel’s History-Making Rookie Season
Knueppel may not have been the flashiest rookie in the 2026 rookie class, but he has been the most consistent. He has not really hit a rookie wall like many of his classmates, partly because he has not had to carry the offensive load as Charlotte has improved by 23 games and counting from its 19-63 output from the 2024-25 season.
He won the Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month for November and became the fastest player in NBA history to make 100 career 3-pointers (29 games) and the fastest to make 200 career 3-pointers (58 games). He also broke Kemba Walker’s franchise record for 3-pointers made in a season when he made his 261st 3-pointer in a 127-107 win over the Phoenix Suns on April 2.
Knueppel and the Hornets will face the Minnesota Timberwolves on the road on Sunday, as both teams will battle for playoff positioning in their respective conferences.
