Duke Blue Devils makes historic Cooper Flagg, Kon Knueppel flex

Former Duke standouts Cooper Flagg and Kon Knueppel delivered a landmark moment for both the Blue Devils and the NBA as a whole this week. On December 2, the NBA announced that the former teammates had been named Rookie of the Month in their respective conferences, marking the first time since the honor was introduced in 2001-02 that two former college teammates claimed both awards in the same month.

“1st school in history to sweep the NBA Rookie of the Month awards,” Duke Men’s Basketball posted on X, formerly Twitter.

1st school in history to sweep the NBA Rookie of the Month awards pic.twitter.com/QG0EM5krqh

— Duke Men’s Basketball (@DukeMBB) December 3, 2025

Flagg, now with the Dallas Mavericks, captured the Western Conference honor after rewriting NBA history. The 18-year-old erupted for a career-best 35 points in a win over the Los Angeles Clippers, becoming the youngest player ever to reach that mark, a record previously held by superstar LeBron James, when he first hit 35 in 2003.

“I’ve got to be aggressive, and we’ll live with some of the mistakes, but you just have to be aggressive and trust all the work,” said Flagg during post-game press conference. “My teammates are extremely confident in me, and I feel that. And when they’re confident in me, it enables me to just be free up there.”

During the press conference, after the game, Mavericks coach Jason Kidd praised the poise Flagg has displayed so early in his career.

“Just his composure on both ends. He competes at a very high level…He’s only 18 years old, but he seems like he’s been in this league before, he plays the game right way,” Kidd said.

Meanwhile, Kon Knueppel, now playing for the Charlotte Hornets, earned the Eastern Conference award on the strength of a blazing start. The 20-year-old currently leads all rookies in scoring and ranks among the league leaders in made threes.

As the NBA season deepens, the Blue Devils’ freshman phenoms are no longer simply promising rookies; they’re headlining the Rookie of the Year race and pushing each other toward even bigger stages. If their first month is any indication, Duke’s historic flex might just be the beginning of a season-long fight for supremacy between two franchise-changing talents.

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