Charlotte Hornets guard Kon Knueppel is already well on his way to becoming one of the NBA’s top shooters. The rookie has made an immediate impact and comes from a family with deep Midwestern roots. Knueppel recently shared an interesting fact about his Midwest ties while speaking to the media.
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Kon Knueppel Shares About His Family’s Football Connection
While speaking to the media, Knueppel revealed that his family member is a college football referee and had a special assignment this past weekend, working the Big Game between Ohio State and Michigan.
Knueppel said, “He’s been referring in the Big Ten for a while. He’s a white hat. And he texts me every week with a picture of where he’s at, and today he sent me a picture of an Ohio State mug and a Michigan mug right next to each other.”
Charlotte Hornets rookie Kon Knueppel reveals surprising connection to Ohio State-Michigan football game:pic.twitter.com/FqBcJNO0gx
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The Ohio State-Michigan rivalry is perhaps the most heated and popular in college football. The latest edition of the Big Game saw Ohio State emerge victorious with a 27-9 road win over Michigan at the Big House in Ann Arbor.
Ohio State moved to 12-0 with the win, while Michigan fell to 9-3. The number one-ranked Buckeyes are headed to the Big Ten Championship Game to play the number two-ranked Indiana Hoosiers, while the 15th-ranked Wolverines await their bowl game matchup.
Knueppel is from Wisconsin, another state with Big Ten roots. The University of Wisconsin football team has won 14 Big Ten championships. Knueppel hopes to have a similarly successful career in the NBA. After his lone college season at Duke University, where he was named second-team All-ACC, Knueppel was drafted fourth overall by the Charlotte Hornets in this past summer’s NBA Draft.
Knueppel has emerged as one of the early leading candidates for Rookie of the Year, as he’s averaging 18.4 points per game while shooting 41.3% from three. Knueppel already has multiple 30-point games and had a very strong stretch in mid-November, during which he scored at least 24 points in four consecutive games.
The Hornets are currently 12th in the Eastern Conference, and the face of the franchise point guard, LaMelo Ball, has been the subject of trade rumors. Regardless of what the next few months have in store for the organization, Knueppel has secured a spot as a core piece due to his ability to stretch the floor.