KON edges LaMelo
In the 3‑Point Contest KON Knueppel beat LaMelo Ball by a single three, capping a head‑to‑head where both players had hit 270+ from distance this season. (x.com) The tight finish drew loud reactions on social, with comparisons to past sharpshooting duos. (x.com)
Kon Knueppel finished the regular season with 273 made three-pointers, one more than Charlotte teammate LaMelo Ball’s 272. (sportingnews.com) That one-shot margin decided the National Basketball Association lead in total threes for 2025-26, and it made Knueppel the first rookie ever to lead the league in the category. (sportingnews.com) Both Hornets guards cleared 270 made threes, a mark ESPN Stats & Information said had previously been reached by teammates Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson, who did it for Golden State in 2015-16 and 2022-23. (sports.yahoo.com) Charlotte’s season ended on April 12 with a 110-96 win over the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden. The Hornets closed 44-38 and secured the ninth seed in the Eastern Conference, setting up a home Play-In Tournament game. (cbssports.com) (espn.com) Knueppel entered the final day already atop the league leaderboard at 270 made threes, according to StatMuse. Ball pushed the race to the finish with five made threes in the finale, while Knueppel added three. (statmuse.com) (clutchpoints.com) The numbers sharpen the picture of Charlotte’s turnaround. A year after a 19-63 season, the Hornets finished above.500 at 44-38 under coach Charles Lee. (espn.com) (nba.com) Knueppel was the fourth pick in the 2025 draft out of Duke, and he averaged 18.6 points per game while shooting 42.7% from three across 80 games. Ball, the franchise’s lead creator, finished second in league threes despite missing time earlier in the season. (espn.com) (statmuse.com) The race also landed in a broader league conversation about volume shooting. Knueppel’s 273 broke the rookie single-season benchmark, which Sporting News listed ahead of Keegan Murray’s 206 for Sacramento in 2022-23. (sportingnews.com) What looked like a novelty stat a few months ago now sits next to Charlotte’s postseason push: one teammate at 273, the other at 272, and a play-in game still to come. (sportingnews.com) (si.com)
