Former Duke Players Carrying the Program’s Legacy in the NBA

The Duke Basketball Program has produced a lot of talented players who move on and become stars in the National Basketball Association. Duke has been the program that gets a lot of these young, talented players from high school. They come to play at Duke for a season, and then they take their talents to the league.

That has been something that this program takes a lot of pride in. Then, you get upperclassmen who get to do the same as well. They stay a little longer at Duke and develop their skills for the NBA.

Apr 2, 2022; New Orleans, LA, USA; Duke Blue Devils head coach Mike Krzyzewski speaks in a press conference after the game against the North Carolina Tar Heels in the 2022 NCAA men's basketball tournament Final Four semifinals at Caesars Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Robert Deutsch-Imagn Imagesd | Robert Deutsch-Imagn Images

Here we take a look at some former Duke players who have taken the court for the start of the NBA this past week.

"Knueppel and James did not have to travel far after draft night, as the Charlotte Hornets selected them at No. 4 and No. 33 overall, respectively," said Vishwa Veeraswamy of The Chronicle. "After a stellar showing in the summer league, there were high expectations coming into Wednesday night against the Nets for Knueppel, who earned Summer League Championship MVP with a 15.6 PPG average in Las Vegas."

fefwf — Oct 11, 2025; Dallas, Texas, USA; Charlotte Hornets guard/forward Kon Knueppel (7) stands on the court in the second half of a game against the Dallas Mavericks at American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Raymond Carlin III-Imagn Images | Raymond Carlin III-Imagn Images

Former Blue Devils Opening Up the NBA Season

"It was more of the same for the Milwaukee, Wis., native at the Spectrum Center Wednesday. He finished the game with 11 points in just 25 minutes, including an impressive 3-of-4 from behind the arc."

NBA debuts are never easy, but they are especially difficult for 18-year-olds. Cooper Flagg got off to a tough start Wednesday night against the Spurs, finishing just 4-of-13 from the field. On the game’s first play, the forward ran a fast break with All-Star Anthony Davis and just missed on an alley-oop attempt, which was emblematic of the evening. While Flagg clearly appeared to have the scoring ability, the ball was not quite bouncing the right way for the young phenom.

vvrf — Oct 24, 2025; Dallas, Texas, USA; Dallas Mavericks forward Cooper Flagg (32) shoots over Washington Wizards guard Bub Carrington (7) during the second half at American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images | Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

Many returning Blue Devils also began their seasons, some with high expectations for the season. Paolo Banchero led his Magic to a win against the Miami Heat with a 24-point performance, a start to a season in which Orlando hopes to make a deep playoff run in a wide-open Eastern Conference due to the injuries of notable stars, including Duke’s Chief Basketball Officer Jayson Tatum.

Zion Williamson, who gained significant attention earlier this summer for his slimmed-down physique, showed his capabilities with a 27-point performance for the Pelicans in a narrow loss against the Grizzlies. Williamson also tallied nine rebounds and a whopping five steals.

frr — Oct 24, 2025; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; New Orleans Pelicans forward Zion Williamson (1) passes against San Antonio Spurs guard/forward Devin Vassell (24) during the second half at Smoothie King Center. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-Imagn Images | Stephen Lew-Imagn Images

For the team up North, Williamson’s former teammate RJ Barrett also had an impressive performance in Atlanta. Barrett finished his night with 25 points on just 12 shots, including two 3-pointers, as well as eight rebounds and five assists.

As always, make sure you stay up to date with all Duke content by following us on Facebook, by clicking HERE, and following us on X (formerly Twitter)HERE