First for the Hornets: 6-0 and NBA Summer League title

LOGAN RIELY | NBAE

Head coach Chris Jent of the Charlotte Hornets hands the trophy to the team after the game against the Sacramento Kings during the 2025 NBA Summer League Championship game on July 20 at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas, Nevada.

The Hornets finally won their first championship.

Charlotte beat Sacramento 83-78 in Sunday’s NBA Summer League final in Las Vegas. While it may be Summer League, it is something the organization can rally behind ahead of the regular season.

“This group brought a lot of enjoyment to everybody every day,” said Hornets’ assistant coach Chris Jent, who coached the summer team. “Their hard work, perseverance and togetherness showed what it took to encompass a team. I think they just played together and competed their tails off. We were way undersized for the game, but we kept scrapping, making the right plays and a little attention to detail there at the end.”

Charlotte’s 2024 second round pick K.J. Simpson had 11 points, five assists and seven rebounds in the final. Afterwards, wearing his championship ring, Simpson was delighted.

“I am just excited,” he said. “This was a team win. It was just a great group of guys. We got here a little earlier than the rest of the teams, so we were going at it and going at it. We just couldn’t wait to play against someone else, so I am just happy we got the win.”

Simpson proved to be serviceable last season in a backup role, averaging 7.8 points per game with a high of 18 points against Chicago on April 6. Simpson hopes what he did this summer was enough to prove himself.

“For me, I just tried to come out here and prove my value,” Simpson said. “[I hoped] I proved I got drafted for a reason. Even though this is my second Summer League, I didn’t get to play last season because I was hurt. I see what people say about me, but I just use it as fuel and motivation.”

Kon Knueppel, Charlotte’s top pick in 2025, scored 21 points against Sacramento to earn the Summer League MVP award. 

“I think coach Jent really instilled the ideas of competitiveness, competing all the time and then being together,” he said. “So, that is what we did, every game we played together. And, it had a good outcome for us.”
Knueppel also believes several players the summer roster will make the 2025-26 roster as well. 

“You always play to win,” he said. “I think building winning habits, even if it is Summer League, is very beneficial.”

Knueppel got off to a rough start in his first Summer League game, going 1-for-8 from the floor. He bounced back with several double figure scoring outings and his best for last. 

“It was a rough start for sure,” he said. “I didn’t play well, but I think it’s the NBA now, you have so many games, just the next game [mentality] is important.”

Hornets’ head coach Charles Lee was in attendance for the final, and Knueppel said he felt he was looking for indications of basketball intelligence.

“It’s not necessarily about statistics or anything,” Knueppel said. “It is about making the right basketball play on both sides of the floor, being in good positioning. Those are the things that are important.”

Now the focus shifts to the regular season. The Hornets, who haven’t made the playoffs since 2016, are looking to parlay a summer of promise into brighter days ahead.

“I’m just excited to be a part of this team,” Knueppel said. “You know, I just got here. I can’t wait to get to training camp and minicamp is here in August. It will be fun to get with the [veteran] guys and I just can’t wait.”

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