Latest news with #BrandonMiller
Yahoo
2 days ago
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Kon Knueppel's Mom Turns Heads At The NBA Draft
Kon Knueppel's Mom Turns Heads At The NBA Draft originally appeared on The Spun. Kon Knueppel is rising up the NBA Draft boards ahead of the first round on Wednesday night. The Duke Blue Devils star could be a top pick. Knueppel, who spent one year at Duke, is considered by some to be a top-five prospect. Advertisement The former five-star recruit, who comes from a major sports family, is seen as one of the most sure-fire bets to become a good to great NBA player. ESPN currently has Knueppel landing at No. 4 overall to the Charlotte Hornets. "Rival teams believe the Hornets will ultimately prioritize Knueppel's strong perimeter shooting, playmaking and leadership skills, as well as his strong fit with the likes of LaMelo Ball and Brandon Miller. The Hornets would be going for a safer option in Knueppel after swinging for the fences with Tidjane Salaun in last year's draft at No. 6," ESPN writes. "Knueppel rates well in analytics-based draft models, but the Hornets might ponder whether they could still add him if they elect to move down a few slots and acquire additional assets in the process." Advertisement Ahead of the 2025 NBA Draft, Knueppel's mom is turning heads. She's a former women's college basketball player. SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS - APRIL 4: 2025 Kon Knueppel #7 of the Duke Blue Devils looks on during a practice session ahead of the Final Four round of the men's NCAA basketball tournament at Alamodome on April 4, 2025 in San Antonio, Texas. (Photo by)Knueppel was overshadowed by Cooper Flagg at Duke, but he was a standout player. "If Cooper Flagg weren't on Duke, I think Kon Knueppel would be getting serious first team All-American buzz," college basketball analyst Evan Miya wrote. "He's ranked as the 6th most valuable player in the country at He's been a tremendous shooter, scorer, playmaker, and has been great on defense." Knueppel's mom is Chari Nordgaard Knueppel, a former college hoops star. She was a standout player at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay. She has five sons. Advertisement The mom of the Duke Blue Devils star played in two NCAA Women's Basketball Tournaments in 1998 and 1999. Knueppel's mom is UWGB's all-time leading scorer with 1,964 points. CBS Sports reporter Tracy Wolfson opened up about the Knueppel family during the NCAA Tournament. They've been on quite a ride. Knueppel's family is sure to have a lot to celebrate heading into the first round of the 2025 NBA Draft on Wednesday night. The first round is scheduled to begin at 8 p.m. E.T. It'll air live on ESPN. Kon Knueppel's Mom Turns Heads At The NBA Draft first appeared on The Spun on Jun 26, 2025 This story was originally reported by The Spun on Jun 26, 2025, where it first appeared.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Hornets Trade Mark Williams To Suns For Two First-Round Picks
Hornets Trade Mark Williams To Suns For Two First-Round Picks originally appeared on Fadeaway World. For the second time in less than a year, the Charlotte Hornets have said goodbye to their young center, Mark Williams. This time, however, there will be no returns as the Phoenix Suns agree to take on his contract for the No. 29 pick in the draft and another future first-round pick in 2029. Full Trade Details Phoenix Suns Receive: Mark Williams Charlotte Hornets Receive: 2025 No. 29 pick, 2029 first-round pick The Hornets tried to move on from Williams back in February, and had a deal lined up with the Lakers for Dalton Knecht. At the last minute, however, the Lakers pulled the plug on the deal and rescinded everything despite the trade being in its final stages. Williams, who thought he was a Laker, begrudgingly went back to Charlotte, and it's where he's been ever since. Advertisement Now, the Hornets finally get to move on from the young big man in exchange for two draft picks to help continue their rebuild. With LaMelo Ball and Brandon Miller, they still have their core players, and now they get some assets to add to their growing stockpile. This also eliminates any lingering feelings of animosity about the botched Lakers trade. For the Suns, this deal would provide them with a significant upgrade in the frontcourt. The team was infamously weak at the center position this season, and while Williams is far from a star, he is a starter-caliber big man who has a noticeable impact on the court. In 44 games this past season, he averaged 15.3 points, 10.2 rebounds, and 2.5 assists per game on 60.4% shooting. With a chance to prove himself on a team with greater expectations, it will be interesting to see how Williams answers the call. It says a lot that the Suns had no issues with his health or physical, but he's ready to leave the past behind and begin a new chapter of his career with the right approach. His size and skills under the rim will provide an important boost for the Suns and give them some much-needed versatility on defense. Bets of all, at 23 years old, Williams is someone who can grow alongside Devin Booker and develop their chemistry together for years to come. Related: Suns Insider Claims Bradley Beal's Future Has Been Decided Following Kevin Durant Trade This story was originally reported by Fadeaway World on Jun 26, 2025, where it first appeared.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Kon Knueppel's Mom Turns Heads At The NBA Draft
Kon Knueppel's Mom Turns Heads At The NBA Draft originally appeared on The Spun. Kon Knueppel is rising up the NBA Draft boards ahead of the first round on Wednesday night. The Duke Blue Devils star could be a top pick. Knueppel, who spent one year at Duke, is considered by some to be a top-five prospect. Advertisement The former five-star recruit, who comes from a major sports family, is seen as one of the most sure-fire bets to become a good to great NBA player. ESPN currently has Knueppel landing at No. 4 overall to the Charlotte Hornets. "Rival teams believe the Hornets will ultimately prioritize Knueppel's strong perimeter shooting, playmaking and leadership skills, as well as his strong fit with the likes of LaMelo Ball and Brandon Miller. The Hornets would be going for a safer option in Knueppel after swinging for the fences with Tidjane Salaun in last year's draft at No. 6," ESPN writes. "Knueppel rates well in analytics-based draft models, but the Hornets might ponder whether they could still add him if they elect to move down a few slots and acquire additional assets in the process." Advertisement Ahead of the 2025 NBA Draft, Knueppel's mom is turning heads. She's a former women's college basketball player. SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS - APRIL 4: 2025 Kon Knueppel #7 of the Duke Blue Devils looks on during a practice session ahead of the Final Four round of the men's NCAA basketball tournament at Alamodome on April 4, 2025 in San Antonio, Texas. (Photo by)Knueppel was overshadowed by Cooper Flagg at Duke, but he was a standout player. "If Cooper Flagg weren't on Duke, I think Kon Knueppel would be getting serious first team All-American buzz," college basketball analyst Evan Miya wrote. "He's ranked as the 6th most valuable player in the country at He's been a tremendous shooter, scorer, playmaker, and has been great on defense." Knueppel's mom is Chari Nordgaard Knueppel, a former college hoops star. She was a standout player at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay. She has five sons. Advertisement The mom of the Duke Blue Devils star played in two NCAA Women's Basketball Tournaments in 1998 and 1999. Knueppel's mom is UWGB's all-time leading scorer with 1,964 points. CBS Sports reporter Tracy Wolfson opened up about the Knueppel family during the NCAA Tournament. They've been on quite a ride. Knueppel's family is sure to have a lot to celebrate heading into the first round of the 2025 NBA Draft on Wednesday night. The first round is scheduled to begin at 8 p.m. E.T. It'll air live on ESPN. Kon Knueppel's Mom Turns Heads At The NBA Draft first appeared on The Spun on Jun 26, 2025 This story was originally reported by The Spun on Jun 26, 2025, where it first appeared.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Hornets Head Coach Charles Lee talks first year coaching, goals for Year 2
Charlotte Hornets Head Coach Charles Lee dealt with many challenges during his first season as a head man in the NBA. ALSO READ: Brandon Miller talks rehab, Hornets future and giving back through youth basketball camp Advertisement Going into Year 2, Lee sat down with Channel 9's DaShawn Brown about what he expects next season. Below is an edited version of Brown's sit down with Lee. DaShawn Brown: Year two... How are you different as a coach now than when you walked in a year ago? Charles Lee: You know, last year at this time, I was going through a finals run with the Celtics, you're going back and forth; building a staff and spending time with players, which really important to me. And so I would say as a coach, I'm just continuing to try to find my voice, continue to carry out the vision that Jeff and I talked about for this organization and for this team. Despite what the record says -- there were moments where I saw so much growth and development Advertisement DB: Showing the guys those moments. Hey, this is how we've grown. What do you point to? CL: I think number one: our habits. I think the professional habits of this group really changed. To see the attention they pay on their bodies, number one. I think our competitiveness got better. For most of that season last year, we were middle of the pack with our defensive rating, and I think that's a testament to their overall commitment to each other, and to guarding DB: Starting with that 4th overall pick, what is the priority for this organization? CL: It's a combination of finding somebody that brings talent on the going to help us continue to thrive. And then off the court, we want to find somebody that continues to embody what we're about. A high-character person that loves the game, that's committed to improving themselves in every way possible, while also bringing their teammates along with them. Advertisement DB: Even now, going into this new year with the core group you have returning, LaMelo Ball, Brandon Miller, Mark Williams, Miles Bridges, all of these guys - where do you look to take the next step collectively, now that you've had that time together? CL: I think it's consistency of availability. It's consistency of our effort and consistency of our overall togetherness. We got to see small spurts of what that group can do together, and it was pretty amazing. I thought for a while there, LaMelo's playing at an All-Star level, caliber player in our league. He was right there in the conversation -- I think Brandon Miller took another great step in Year two. Shooting a little bit more threes and changing his shot. Miles, I thought took a huge step in his leadership, his durability has always been there for us, but I think that he added more layers to his game. Mark. Dealing with all he went through throughout the year, when he returned back to our team, he had some games where I just thought that he's playing at a high level on both ends of the court. So when you put those four guys together, you add a first round draft pick, you add Tidjane getting better for another year, Moussa getting better, and we see what happens in free agency with some of our guys as well, I'm really excited about what's to come. DB: The injuries were something no one could control, but given that it happened, what do you think you were able to take from that, that made you better? CL: We definitely got stronger this year. Adversity is where you really truly grow, and I thought that our group found ways to continue to stay together, to continue to work, to continue to compete -- there was a no excuses mentality. We're not going to make excuses; we're just going to continue to make progress.** Advertisement DB: On your best day as the head coach of the Charlotte Hornets, what happened? CL: One of the best moments we had this year, that San Antonio Spurs game at home. The crowd was unbelievable despite what our record was at that point. It was one of those moments where it just all came together. Number one, I was so excited to come to Charlotte. The city, the fan support, and you felt it in that moment. Our team. The way we banded together and put together a really good offensive and defensive night and then Miles finishes it off with a pass from Melo at the end of the game. You're always talking about your best players have to make the right play at the end of the game It really just brought everything full circle for me, from the fans to the team, the joy that I felt in that moment. DB: On the most challenging day, what happened, and what did it teach you? CL: There were some challenging days in year one. Thank God I have great people around me to help me get through those challenging days, but the thing I always struggle with sometimes is whenever I just feel like I'm letting the team down. When I'm letting the organization down. I have such respect and gratitude for everything our players are giving, that our coaching staff is giving—when we go through injuries that sometimes end people's seasons -- we don't win a close game and we're right there, I take a lot of that on personally, and I'm like how could I have been better?. My biggest goal is to continue to stay consistent, continue to stay positive, but I definitely take on and feel the pain of some of the injuries or some of the losses that go on because you don't want to let the team down, you don't want to let the city down. It's important to me as one of the leaders of the group to just not let them down. (WATCH BELOW: Brandon Miller talks rehab, Hornets future and giving back through youth basketball camp)
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Brandon Miller talks rehab, Hornets future and giving back through youth basketball camp
The Charlotte Hornets are under 24 hours away from the NBA Draft. The team is set to turn a new page as the league enters the offseason. Star forward Brandon Miller is also looking forward to a fresh start after missing most of the second half of the season due to injury. Advertisement ALSO READ: Queens University to become full NCAA Division I member Miller is also set for his first basketball camp in Charlotte after hosting one last year in Nashville. Miller watched fellow Tennessee native Darius Garland host similar camps during his career. The BMill Skills Factory is set for July 25th and 26th. >> In the video at the top of the page, Channel 9's Phil Orban sits down with Miller on his recovery and efforts to give back to the community. (WATCH BELOW: Fans brave heat for FIFA match)
