Giannis Drops Insane Praise for Rookie Kon Knueppel

Kon Knueppel has taken the NBA by storm through the first 50+ games of his career.

The way he moves, plays, and handles himself looks nothing like a first-year player in this league. He constantly makes the right reads, never forces his shot, and makes some next-level, high-IQ plays on a nightly basis. Not to mention, he has a legitimate shot to finish his rookie season with the coveted 50/40/90 shooting splits for crying out loud.

During All-Star weekend, Knueppel had a brief one-on-one conversation with one of the best players in the game, Giannis Antetokounmpo, who made sure to tell him how impressed he has been by his play so far.

“You’re probably one of the smartest rookies I’ve ever seen.” 💯

Giannis showed love to Milwaukee native Kon Knueppel during NBA All-Star! pic.twitter.com/VV82bgtvsy
— #NBAAllStar (@NBAAllStar) February 17, 2026

“I was watching this interview, and you were talking about something about what makes Giannis hard to guard. And then you said, he does this move real quick, and I’ve been doing it for thirteen years, and it took a rookie to see what I’ve been doing, "Giannis said to Kon. "You’re probably one of the smartest rookies I’ve ever seen. The way you play the game…and I can tell you put up with brothers and dad because I was the same way. You are probably one of the most attentive players that I’ve seen as a rookie. You already got it, and you’re only going to get better. You haven’t even figured out your spots yet.”

For Knueppel, a Milwaukee native who went to Bucks games growing up, this was a special moment. To have a superstar like Giannis that he dreamed of playing in the league against or with, going out of his way to throw some huge praise his way, is something he'll never forget.

Antetokounmpo's name has been swirled around in trade rumors, really, since the end of last season. The Bucks decided to hold onto him not only through the summer but also this year's trade deadline. Those conversations will likely come up again once this season comes to an end, and who knows? Maybe Charlotte throws its hat into the ring.

Ahead of the trade deadline, ESPN's Ramona Shelburne mentioned on a radio show that the Hornets could be a team to think about if the Bucks were to move Giannis.

.@ramonashelburne notes the Timberwolves and Warriors as the teams most interested in Giannis Antetokounmpo 👀

"I think there are other teams we have not talked about that would be very surprising that are also making calls ... Charlotte is an interesting team." @VeniceMase https://t.co/R50SE4vPI8 pic.twitter.com/MFiVTf7HSr
— ESPN Los Angeles (@ESPNLosAngeles) February 3, 2026

“Minnesota is one of the teams that’s hot in pursuit of Giannis. The Warriors really want him. They both really want him. And I think Miami really wants him too. I think there are other teams that we have not talked about that would be very surprising, that are also making calls. I think Charlotte is an interesting team. I've heard that name out there. Toronto. Nobody gets excited about that because that’s not seen as teams that he would want to go to.”

Hornets President of Basketball Ops Jeff Peterson had repeatedly told reporters that at some point in time, they're going to push their chips to the center of the table and go all in on a player. Could it be Giannis?

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