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Cavs’ Thomas Bryant Got Instant Karma for Taunting Hornets Rookie Kon Knueppel

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Blake Silverman

Thomas Bryant hit the floor while celebrating a basket
Thomas Bryant hit the floor while celebrating a basket / Screengrab via @NBAonNBC on X/Twitter
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Cavaliers big man Thomas Bryant experienced some instant karma Monday night against the Hornets.

He found himself with a mismatch near the basket during the first quarter at Cleveland’s Rocket Arena, catching an entry pass with only Charlotte rookie forward Kon Knueppel between him and the rim. Bryant had no problem getting around Knueppel for the bucket and let the rookie sharpshooter know about it with a flex and a “too small” gesture as he ran back on defense.

The problem? Bryant didn’t appear to watch where he was going and tripped over his own feet while celebrating and hit the deck as the Hornets started to run their offense. Check out the hilarious moment below:

Bryant’s tumble gave his teammates and the NBC broadcast a true laugh as Knueppel was quickly fouled on the other end of the floor. The veteran big man took it lightly too, laughing at himself once the play stopped.

Maybe he’ll think twice about hitting the “too small” celebration at his next opportunity. Karma is real, folks.

As for Kneuppel, the No. 4 pick in this year’s NBA draft set some history early in the contest against the Cavs Monday. He hit his 100th career three-pointer in just his 29th game, becoming the fastest player in NBA history to reach the feat as he eclipsed Lauri Markkanen’s previous record of 41 games.

Bryant joined the Cavs over the offseason on a one-year deal. He’s averaging 4.1 points and 2.6 rebounds in 8.9 minutes per game off the bench this season.

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Blake Silverman
BLAKE SILVERMAN

Blake Silverman is a contributor to the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. Before joining SI in November 2024, he covered the WNBA, NBA, G League and college basketball for numerous sites, including Winsidr, SB Nation's Detroit Bad Boys and A10Talk. He graduated from Michigan State University before receiving a master's in sports journalism from St. Bonaventure University. Outside of work, he's probably binging the latest Netflix documentary, at a yoga studio or enjoying everything Detroit sports. A lifelong Michigander, he lives in suburban Detroit with his wife, young son and their personal petting zoo of two cats and a dog.

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