Hornets edge Kings to capture first Summer League championship

They won Sunday night’s final 83-78 over the Sacramento Kings to claim the title.

Kon Knueppel led the way for Charlotte with 21 points, five rebounds and two assists, earning MVP honours in the championship game. The 19-year-old was selected fourth overall in this summer’s NBA Draft.

“I said before, if we were going to come here, we should win,” Knueppel said on the broadcast after receiving his hardware. “So that’s what we did.”

Teammate and fellow 2025 draftee Ryan Kalkbrenner, the 34th overall pick, added 15 points and nine rebounds.

Isaac Jones, meanwhile, paced Sacramento with 24 points, 11 rebounds and two assists.

The win marks the Hornets’ first Summer League title in franchise history, while the Kings finished as runners-up for the first time in three finals appearances, having won previously in 2014 and 2021.

Charlotte went a perfect 6-0 in the tournament, while Sacramento finished 5-1.

The win offers a glimmer of hope for the future of a franchise that hasn’t made the NBA playoffs since 2016 and finished last season with the league’s third-worst record.