How Charlotte Hornets' Kon Knueppel Did in the Rising Stars Challenge on Friday Night

Friday night, Charlotte Hornets rookie guard Kon Knueppel took the floor for the first of the three-day All-Star event in Inglewood, California, participating in the Rising Stars Challenge.

Knueppel was drafted by Tracy McGrady in the Rising Stars draft with the No. 2 overall pick, and according to Vince Carter, there's a good chance he would have been the No. 1 pick if T-Mac had it. He thinks highly of the Hornets' sharpshooter.

"I'm standing on that. I'm still standing on that," McGrady said in a podcast with Carter after he said he still would have been the top pick. "That kid is amazing. I love watching him play. He shoots the crap out of the ball."

Former NBA star Tracy McGrady praised Kon and shared his thoughts on Cooper Flagg and Kon Knueppel going 1-2 in the Rising Stars draft.

"I think it's the first basketball draft in history where two white guys went one and two."@VinceAndTmac pic.twitter.com/rreObi4LnW
— Blue Devil Voices (@DukeEchoes) February 14, 2026

Unfortunately, Knueppel's night was rather brief as Team T-Mac lost its first game against Team Vince, 41-36, eliminating them from advancing to the championship round. Knueppel had a rather quiet night, shooting just 2/4 from the field and going 0/2 from three-point range. He did chip in three rebounds and an assist in his nearly ten and a half minutes of floor time.

“It was fun to get out there. Obviously, didn’t get it done," Knueppel said in his postgame media availability. "Wish I would have made a couple more, but sometimes the ball doesn’t go in. It was fun to get out there and compete in front of the fans and all that.”

Cavaliers guard Jaylon Tyson led the way for Team T-Mac with 10 points and five rebounds, while division rival guard Tre Johnson of the Washington Wizards ended as the team's second leading scorer, finishing with eight points on 3/8 shooting.

Knueppel will be back at it tonight to participate in the three-point contest alongside Damian Lillard, Devin Booker, Jamal Murray, Tyrese Maxey, Donovan Mitchell, Norman Powell, and Bobby Portis Jr. When asked about his thoughts on possibly becoming the first rookie to ever win the event, he responded, “Yeah, that would be sweet. It’s a really good field. I’m excited to get some shots up out there.”

The event will start at 5 p.m. ET on NBC and Peacock and will be the second event of the night.

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