April 3, 2026, 1:37 p.m. ET

Kon Knueppel claimed another record on Thursday amid a historic rookie campaign, leading the Charlotte Hornets to a crucial win over the Phoenix Suns at the Spectrum Center.

Knueppel finished with 20 points, three rebounds and two assists in the 127-107 victory as the Hornets clinched their first .500-or-better season since 2022 (41-36). He shot 7-of-14 from the field, including four 3-pointers, in 32 minutes of work.

The fourth overall pick set a new franchise record for 3s in a single season (261), surpassing the previous mark held by Kemba Walker, who is a player enhancement coach with the team. He hit the record-breaking triple to put the Hornets up by 20 points early in the fourth quarter.

“(I’m) extremely happy for him, (a) well-deserved honor,” Hornets coach Charles Lee said. “The team didn’t like that I said, ‘Kemba who?’ But I love Kemba. I love the standard and the bar he set. But it was really cool, obviously, to see Kon throughout the year continue to just get better and better. He is super humble and recognized all his teammates and all the work they did to help put him in really good positions.”

Knueppel is averaging 18.8 points, 5.4 rebounds and 3.4 assists while shooting 43.1% from 3-point range in 76 appearances. He leads the rookie class in total points (1,430) and is one of two first-year players with five or more 30-point games.

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The 20-year-old on Feb. 26 set the NBA record for the most 3-pointers in a season by a rookie, surpassing Keegan Murray (206). He currently leads the league in 3s and is on pace to become the first rookie in history to accomplish that feat in a season.

Behind his recent run, Knueppel has moved ahead of Cooper Flagg as the front-runner to win Rookie of the Year. He is emerging as a franchise cornerstone for the Hornets and is a key reason why they are on the verge of clinching a spot in the play-in tournament.

“I think, especially with the team success, it has been real fun to enjoy some of the individual success,” Knueppel said. “Turning this thing around and having the season we’re having, feeling the love from the fans, has been great and has, in turn, encouraged us and helped us play better basketball.”