"My family doesn't have the ball knowledge that I do": Kon Knueppel gets candid on family's ties with basketball

Duke Blue Devils guard Kon Knueppel is vying for a spot in the NBA for the 2025-26 season. Ever since he declared for this year's draft, the rumblings of Knueppel being a top pick are seemingly coming to fruition. Knueppel is currently projected to be the No. 8 pick by the Brooklyn Nets.

During an interview with basketball analyst Kevin O'Connor on Tuesday, Kon Knueppel was asked about his first encounter with the sport of basketball. The freshman then got candid talking about his family's ties with the game.

"Man, both my parents played, so they loved hoops, Probably (baby pictures of me with a ball in my hands), yeah. The first thing I remember though is getting those mini hoops. I had like full-court mini hoops in our playroom, like you could play back and forth. I used to play on those by myself...It’s pretty sick," Knueppel reminisced. (10:58)

"It’s really important to us, kind of something that brings us all together, even my extended family (are) a bunch of hoopers as well. So, it’s pretty sweet, those holidays and stuff, there are a lot of pickup games. Those get competitive," he said.

Knueppel was then asked about if him and his family chops it up in their own group chats talking about the current slate of the NBA.

"Not playoff games. Unfortunately, some of my family doesn’t have the ball knowledge that I do, I would say so. My mom is not particularly keeping up with the NBA, nor is my father. But yeah, definitely in some other group chats with buddies, trying to make sure the family stays all right," he answered. (11:49)

In his lone year of college basketball, Kon Knueppel averaged 14.4 points, 4.0 rebounds, 2.7 assists, and 1.0 steals per contest for the Blue Devils.

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Kon Knueppel reveals his most memorable career moments

During the interview with Kevin O'Connor, Kon Knueppel was asked about the most memorable moment of his budding basketball career. While making the NCAA Final Four in the 2024-25 season is one of his picks, the Milwaukee, Wisconsin native admitted that winning a state championship with his loved ones at Wisconsin Lutheran takes precedence.

"I'd say either, I mean senior year, went undefeated and won the state championship in Wisconsin. That was big time, doing it with my brother, my cousin and all my friends, and then doing it in front of the whole school in the Kohl Center in Madison. That was big time," Knueppel shared. (10:19)

The sharpshooter then brought his talents to coach Jon Scheyer's Duke Blue Devils, where in his one-and-done stint, Kon Knueppel helped the team finish with an overall record of 35-4, 19-1 during this year's ACC play, and won both the regular season championship and the conference tournament title.