Hornets' Summer League championship win breaks embarrassing franchise curse
On Sunday evening, the Charlotte Hornets won the NBA Summer League championship with a narrow victory over the Sacramento Kings. Kon Knueppel was named the Summer League championship game MVP for his performance in the contest, which included a three-pointer down the stretch which essentially put the game on ice for the Hornets.
Championships of any kind have been hard to come by for the Hornets' organization over the years–in fact, Sunday's Summer League championship victory was the first championship of any sort for the Hornets in their entire history.
That includes NBA titles, conference titles, divisional titles, and Summer League titles, per FanDuel on X, formerly Twitter.
Overall, fans of the Hornets have to be happy with what they saw from their team during their time in Las Vegas.
The Hornets' two first round draft picks, Liam McNeeley and Kon Knueppel, both largely performed well in their time during Charlotte's Summer League run.
The Hornets are desperately hoping that 2025-26 is the year they will be able to turn their franchise's fortunes around and finally end their postseason curse–Charlotte hasn't appeared in a real NBA playoff game since the 2016 season unless you count a couple of play-in game appearances, both of which ended in the nine vs ten game.
In theory, Knueppel and McNeeley will be able to provide point guard LaMelo Ball with some much-needed floor spacing this season, which has been a major issue for the Hornets in recent years.
Furthermore, Ball will need to show that he can stay on the court consistently this year, as injury concerns have become a large concern for the talented point guard over the last few seasons.
Still, Hornets fans for the first time in a while have something to be excited about, and clearly, they will take any championship they can get, even if it's just in Summer League.
Related: Kyle Filipowski, Kings headline 2025 NBA Summer League's biggest winners
Related: Check out Hornets' bonkers Summer League championship rings
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
USA Today
33 minutes ago
- USA Today
Saliou Niang helps Italy defeat Senegal in EuroBasket exhibition game
Cleveland Cavaliers draft pick Saliou Niang neared a double-digit scoring effort on Sunday to help Italy defeat Senegal in its second exhibition game ahead of the 2025 FIBA EuroBasket Championship. Momo Diouf produced a game-high 17 points, Gabriele Procida scored 12 points and seven rebounds and Niang added nine points and seven rebounds in the 80-56 victory. The group claimed the Trentino Basket Cup after defeating Iceland on Saturday. Italy will play four additional preparation games before opening EuroBasket on Aug. 28 against Greece. In addition to Diouf, Niang and Procida, the team is also headlined by Miami Heat forward Simone Fontecchio and former NBA forward Nicolò Melli. Niang was the 58th pick in the 2025 NBA draft after averaging 7.9 points, 5.2 rebounds and 1.5 assists on 51.3% shooting from the field last season with Dolomiti Energia Trento. He helped the team to the Italian Cup and was the Italian Lega A Most Improved Player. The Senegalese-Italian forward played with the Cavaliers in the NBA Summer League, averaging 7.7 points, 6.7 rebounds and 1.3 assists on 41.2% shooting from the field in three games. He neared a double-double on July 13 with six points, 11 rebounds and three assists. Niang and Italy return to action on Saturday against Latvia. They will also play Argentina (Aug. 14), Latvia (Aug. 21) and Greece (Aug. 22) in their final tune-up games before the 42nd edition of the European tournament.
USA Today
33 minutes ago
- USA Today
Isaiah Hartenstein returns to Germany with Larry O'Brien trophy
Now that it's August, the NBA has entered the driest part of its calendar. The next two months forecast a desert as everybody in the league heads to vacation. The offseason is over and rosters are set. Before teams start the 2025-26 season marathon, they'll enjoy some downtime. For the Oklahoma City Thunder, that includes parading around their NBA championship. They had one of the greatest seasons ever with a historic 68-14 regular-season campaign. That dominance translated in the playoffs to a Larry O'Brien trophy. Now that they won a ring, Thunder players have scattered across the globe to celebrate with their hometowns. Isaiah Hartenstein did that when he went back to Germany. He kicked off his inaugural "IHart Fest!" weekend event. It included a basketball clinic, dunk contest and tournament. Hartenstein also brought home the Larry O'Brien trophy. It's always fun to follow the journey of the NBA champion. Players go back to their friends and family to flex the prestigious trophy. The 27-year-old previously talked about being excited to return to Germany with it. The Thunder couldn't have won a championship without Hartenstein. He was a key player in their title run. He enjoyed a career season with 11.2 points and 10.7 rebounds. The double-double machine was mostly a starter in OKC's playoffs. Hartenstein hopes for similar success in his second season on the Thunder. They will enter the 2025-26 season as a popular pick to repeat as NBA champions. If anybody can pull that off, it's one of the greatest teams ever running it back with mostly the same roster. IHart brought the Thunder to Germany ⚡️@Ipjh55 turned Ulm 🆙 with a weekend full of basketball for his inaugural IHart Fest! The event included a basketball clinic, a dunk contest, tournament play and more! IHart returns to his roots in Germany with gratitude and joy 🙌 🇩🇪
USA Today
an hour ago
- USA Today
NBA Insider reveals Sacramento Kings' best trade offer for Warriors' Jonathan Kuminga
The Sacramento Kings have been linked with a move for Jonathan Kuminga throughout the summer. The Golden State Warriors forward is a restricted free agent, but has been in no rush to reach an agreement on a new deal, instead opting to explore his options around the NBA. Sacramento would provide a fresh start for the former lottery pick, while not being too much of an off-court adjustment, being just a few hours' drive from the Chase Center. If the Kings were to acquire Kuminga, it would have to be via a sign-and-trade, made all the more difficult due to the base-layer compensation rule in the NBA's Collective Barganing Agreement. However, that doesn't seem to be deterring new Kings General Manager Scott Perry. In a recent article for The Athletic, NBA Insider Sam Amick detailed what the Kings' most competitive trade offer for Kuminga has looked like. "As for the Kings, who last spoke with the Warriors earlier this week, team sources say they've offered a three-year, $63 million deal for Kuminga in a proposal that would send veteran guard Malik Monk and their 2030 first-round pick (lottery protected) to the Warriors (that deal would require the Warriors to move more salary elsewhere to stay under the first apron, likely Moses Moody or Buddy Hield)," Amick wrote. "If that pick didn't convey, then the Warriors would get the least favorable of the Kings or San Antonio's first-round pick in 2031. Those protections have been the primary sticking point, team sources said, as the Warriors have insisted that the first-rounder be unprotected. Thus, the stalemate." As things currently stand, the Warriors haven't accepted any potential trade offer for Kuminga. Instead, the franchise would likely prefer him to sign a new deal, so that they can turn their attention to upgrading last season's roster. Unfortunately for the Warriors, Kuminga will likely continue to take his time as he waits to see what other opportunities arise. If a sign-and-trade doesn't materialize, Kuminga will likely sign his qualifying offer, which would make him an unrestricted free agent next summer. No matter what, his tenure in Golden State appears to be winding down; the only question is how much longer it will last. This post originally appeared on Warriors Wire! Follow us on Facebook and Twitter!
