Dallas Mavericks' Cooper Flagg edged former Duke teammate Kon Knueppel to win the NBA Rookie of the Year award Monday night.
Flagg set a host of records for an NBA teenager in an also-ran season for the Mavs. He became the first rookie since Michael Jordan in 1984-85 to lead his team in points, rebounds, assists and steals.
That and other accolades for a teenager were enough to overcome a difficult season for the Mavericks, while Knueppel helped the Charlotte Hornets to a 25-win improvement that almost led to a spot in the playoffs.
The 19-year-old Flagg and Knueppel were first and second in rookie scoring, the first former college teammates to do that since UConn stars Emeka Okafor and Ben Gordon in 2004-05. Philadelphia's VJ Edgecombe was the other finalist.
"I see the games every night. I can check the box scores," Flagg said when asked how close of an eye he kept on Knueppel during the season.
"I think also I was watching Kon just because that's one of my brothers. We had such a good connection, and we're gonna be there for each other for the rest of our lives. I was watching him as a fan as well, but there was obviously that competition at the same time."
The rookie award was the sixth to be announced by the NBA since the end of the regular season.
The others
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 31 points, Chet Holmgren added 24 and the Oklahoma City Thunder beat the Phoenix Suns 131-122 on Monday night, capping a four-game sweep in the first-round series.
The Thunder - who have a 12-0 record in the first round over the last three seasons - will face the winner of the Los Angeles Lakers-Houston Rockets series in the Western Conference semi-finals.
The Lakers have a 3-1 lead, though the Rockets won Game 4.
