Kon Knueppel joked with Kemba Walker before breaking his three-point record, saying he should have shot more threes, after Walker encouraged him to claim the milestone on Thursday night vs. Phoenix.
Charlotte Hornets rookie sensation Kon Knueppel continues to rewrite both franchise and NBA history in his debut season.
Knueppel added another milestone on Thursday night, leading the Hornets to a 127-107 win over the Phoenix Suns while breaking the franchise’s single-season three-point record.
With a three-pointer from the wing at the 8:26 mark of the fourth quarter, he surpassed former four-time NBA All-Star Kemba Walker, who previously held the record with 260 threes during the 2018-19 season.
Knueppel now sits alone at the top with 261.
“Before the game, he [Kemba] was like, ‘Man, let’s go get this one tonight,’ because the previous two games I had one three combined,” Knueppel said. “But I told him a couple of days ago that he should have shot more threes; he wasn’t shooting enough threes when he was playing.”
A leading candidate for Rookie of the Year, Knueppel is averaging 18.8 points on an impressive 43.1% shooting from beyond the arc, along with 5.4 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game.
“I think maybe I’ve surpassed my expectations for myself a little bit,” he admitted. “I felt like I had had enough to help this team, and we got a lot of talented players.
“I think especially with the team success, it’s been really fun to enjoy some of that individual success as well,” he added. “You know, really turning this thing around and having the season we’re having, really feeling the love from the fans, has been great.”
Hornets fans have fully embraced their rookie star, often expecting every shot he takes from deep to fall. When he misses, the crowd responds with a collective sigh.
“It makes the ones that go in really sweet. But it is also pretty reassuring as a shooter when you miss and the crowd, there’s an audible like, “aw,” that’s reassuring, for sure. Obviously, the fans believe in that every shot you’re shooting is going in, so that’s a cool feeling to have.”
MIN:
31.49
PTS:
18.82 (54.98%)
REB:
5.38
AS:
3.37
ST:
0.68
BL:
0.24
TO:
1.95
GM:
76
A bit earlier this season, Knueppel also set the NBA rookie record for most three-pointers in a single season.
For perspective, Stephen Curry made 166 threes during his rookie campaign in 2009-10 with the Golden State Warriors.
Most Three-Pointers in a Season by an NBA Rookie # Player 3PM Season Team GP 1 Kon Knueppel 261 2025-26 CHA 76 2 Keegan Murray 206 2022-23 SAC 80 3 Donovan Mitchell 187 2017-18 UTA 79 4 Damian Lillard 185 2012-13 POR 82 5 Brandon Miller 184 2023-24 CHA 74 6 Saddiq Bey 175 2020-21 DET 70 7 Anthony Edwards 171 2020-21 MIN 72 8 Luka Doncic 168 2018-19 DAL 72 9 Landry Shamet 167 2018-19 TOT 79 10 Stephen Curry 166 2009-10 GSW 80 Most 3PT in a Single Season (Charlotte Hornets) # Player Season 3PM GP MPG PPG 1 Kon Knueppel 2025-26 261 76 31.5 18.8 2 Kemba Walker 2018-19 260 82 34.9 25.6 3 Jason Richardson 2007-08 243 82 38.4 21.8 4 Kemba Walker 2016-17 240 79 34.7 23.2 5 Kemba Walker 2017-18 231 80 34.2 22.1 6 LaMelo Ball 2025-26 230 63 27.6 19.7 7 Terry Rozier 2021-22 222 73 33.7 19.3 8 Terry Rozier 2020-21 222 69 34.5 20.4 9 LaMelo Ball 2021-22 220 75 32.3 20.1 10 Devonte’ Graham 2019-20 218 63 35.1 18.2
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