All-Star festivities continued in the NBA Saturday night, as fans from around the world gathered to see some of the league’s best talent.
One of those talents was rookie Kon Knueppel of the Charlotte Hornets.
After competing in the Rising Stars Challenge Friday night, Knueppel was a participant in both the Three-point contest and the Shooting Stars Challenge.
Although Knueppel’s shooting prowess was on full display, he came up just short in both events.
Currently shooting 43.1% from deep on the season, Knueppel showed that accuracy in the first round of the three-point contest, scoring an impressive 27 points. That performance earned him a spot in the final round, facing off against both Devin Booker and Damian Lillard.
That said, the second round didn’t go quite as well for Knueppel as he cooled down with 17 points. Booker and Lillard came out much sharper in round two, finishing with 27 and 29 points respectively. Ultimately, it was Lillard who earned the win, his third career three-point contest victory.
Following the contest, Knueppel spoke to the media about his performance, hoping to have done better despite placing third. “I felt good, got a good score out there first round to make it to the finals,” said Knueppel.
“Obviously, kind of crapped the bed there in the second round. It’s a long sit. I went first, it was like 30 minutes sitting down (…) tough to get loose again. But yeah, kind of stings.”
While Knueppel won’t head back to Charlotte with any hardware, his shooting prowess is likely to offer him another opportunity for the three-point crown.
