Cooper Flagg wins NBA Rookie of the Year after Kon Knueppel's Play-In Tournament struggles swayed voters

Sports Cooper Flagg wins NBA Rookie of the Year after Kon Knueppel's Play-In Tournament struggles swayed voters Flagg earned 56 first-place votes to Knueppel's 44, finishing just above his fellow Duke Blue Devils teammate By Scott Thompson Fox News Published April 27, 2026 10:43pm EDT Facebook Twitter Threads Flipboard Comments Print Email Add Fox News on Google close Video Cooper Flagg's Rookie Season Ends With Him In Jordan Company | The Ricky Cobb Show Cooper Flagg came into the NBA as a can’t-miss prospect, and somehow he’s exceeded the hype. Brace yourselves, but his rookie season has already put him in conversations with Michael Jordan. The scary part? He’s still a teenager—so how good can he really become? NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles! Dallas Mavericks first overall pick Cooper Flagg was named the 2025-26 NBA Rookie of the Year, and it was a thrillingly close vote in the end. if (window && window.foxstrike && Array.isArray(window.foxstrike.cmd)) { window.foxstrike.cmd.push(function(Strike) { Strike.insertAd('tablet', 'lb2', 'tablet-tw-ad-lb2', ''); }); } else { console.error('Error: window.foxstrike not found'); } if (window && window.foxstrike && Array.isArray(window.foxstrike.cmd)) { window.foxstrike.cmd.push(function(Strike) { Strike.insertAd('mobile', 'ban1', 'mobile-mw-ad-ban1', ''); }); } else { console.error('Error: window.foxstrike not found'); } Flagg narrowly beat out Charlotte Hornets’ sharpshooter Kon Knueppel, his fellow Duke Blue Devils star who went three picks later than Flagg in last year’s draft, earning 56 first-place votes compared to Knueppel’s 44. So, Flagg finished with 412 total vote points to Knueppel’s 386.Philadelphia 76ers guard VJ Edgecombe finished in third place with 96 points (93 third-place votes), while San Antonio Spurs’ Dylan Harper and Memphis Grizzlies Cedric Coward also got third-place votes. if (window && window.foxstrike && Array.isArray(window.foxstrike.cmd)) { window.foxstrike.cmd.push(function(Strike) { Strike.insertAd('desktop', 'lb2', 'desktop-desk-ad-lb2', ''); }); } else { console.error('Error: window.foxstrike not found'); } CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM Dallas Mavericks forward Cooper Flagg controls the ball in the second half against the Minnesota Timberwolves in Dallas, Texas, on March 30, 2026. (Gareth Patterson/AP Photo) if (window && window.foxstrike && Array.isArray(window.foxstrike.cmd)) { window.foxstrike.cmd.push(function(Strike) { Strike.insertAd('mobile', 'ban2', 'mobile-mw-ad-ban2', ''); }); } else { console.error('Error: window.foxstrike not found'); } Flagg marked the second-youngest player to ever win the award, as the 19-year-old was only behind Los Angeles Lakers’ LeBron James. if (window && window.foxstrike && Array.isArray(window.foxstrike.cmd)) { window.foxstrike.cmd.push(function(Strike) { Strike.insertAd('tablet', 'lb3', 'tablet-tw-ad-lb3', ''); }); } else { console.error('Error: window.foxstrike not found'); } For most of the season, it appeared Knueppel was going to win the award, but multiple voters came out publicly and said Knueppel’s Play-In Tournament struggles factored into them changing their minds for Flagg.MAVERICKS' COOPER FLAGG ADMITS ROOKIE SEASON HAS BEEN 'MENTALLY TAXING' AMID THE TEAM'S STRUGGLES if (window && window.foxstrike && Array.isArray(window.foxstrike.cmd)) { window.foxstrike.cmd.push(function(Strike) { Strike.insertAd('mobile', 'ban3', 'mobile-mw-ad-ban3', ''); }); } else { console.error('Error:…

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