A decade after watching the 2015 NCAA title game in Badgers red, Kon Knueppel has become a key figure in Duke’s 2025 Final Four run. The 6’7″ freshman guard has started all 37 games, averaging 14 points, 3.0 rebounds, and 2.7 assists per game while shooting 48% from the field and 40% from beyond the arc.
His breakout moment came in the ACC Tournament quarterfinals, when he scored a career-high 28 points — 22 in the second half — to lift Duke past Georgia Tech after Cooper Flagg left with an injury scare. Knueppel was later named ACC Tournament Most Outstanding Player.
Kon Knueppel’s Full-Circle Moment: 2015 Fan-Turned 2025 Duke Star
In 2015, a 9-year-old Knueppel sat inside Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis wearing a Wisconsin jersey, watching his hometown Badgers fall to Duke in the national title game. A resurfaced photo from that day—Knueppel clad in red and white near then-Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski—now represents a surreal full-circle moment.
It was fate 🔮 pic.twitter.com/EFqcIn4OyN
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) April 6, 2025
Born Aug. 3, 2005, in Milwaukee, Knueppel grew up immersed in basketball. His father, Kon Sr., played at Wisconsin Lutheran College, while his mother, Chari Nordgaard, remains the all-time leading scorer at Wisconsin-Green Bay. At Wisconsin Lutheran High School, he averaged 26.4 points, 8.8 rebounds and 5.1 assists as a senior, leading his team to a perfect 30-0 season and a state championship.
Though many expected him to stay in-state, Knueppel committed to Duke in September 2023. As a freshman, he’s made an immediate impact, starting every game and earning ACC Tournament MVP honors following his standout performance against Georgia Tech.
In the NCAA Tournament, he has elevated his game further—scoring 20 points against Arizona and 21 against Alabama. Through the postseason, he’s averaging 17.4 points and 3.8 assists while shooting 50.7% from the field and 41.3% from three-point range. He is now projected as a top-10 pick in the 2025 NBA Draft.
Kon Knueppel’s Drive Fueled by Draft Dreams and Deep Roots
Last June, Knueppel watched the NBA Draft from his Duke dorm room, focused on one question: How could he earn playing time as a freshman? As he saw one-and-done prospects like Reed Sheppard, Stephon Castle, Rob Dillingham and Duke’s Jared McCain go in the top 20, something clicked.
“After watching the draft, I said to myself, ‘I want that to be me next year,’” Knueppel told FOX Sports. “I started getting up at 5:30 a.m. every day during the summer except Sundays to work as hard as possible.”
That tireless work ethic reflects Knueppel’s maturity—his family often describes him as “an old soul.” The eldest of five boys, he comes from elite basketball bloodlines, but his awareness and focus have stood out from an early age.
“The day he was born… he was taking everything in,” said his mother, Chari.
Though his love for the game didn’t develop immediately, his uncle Jeff Nordgaard remembered it clearly.
“We thought he might not be an athlete,” Nordgaard said. “He was just so smart, using advanced words for his age.”
KEEP READING: What Is Kon Knueppel’s Middle Name?
Now, Knueppel’s mix of intellect, discipline and deep basketball roots has him shining on college basketball’s biggest stage.
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