HORNETS 2026 ALL-STAR WEEKEND NOTEBOOK
Kon Knueppel and Rick Schnall rep the Hornets in L.A.
Editor’s Note: The following is a notebook full of random thoughts and game observations. Please excuse any typos, errors or extraneous references to the Bobcats and report them in the comments. Thank you.
RISING STARS CHALLENGE
Opening Round Game 2
Team T-Mac 36 - Team Vince 41
WHY DID KON LOSE? (AND OTHER IMPORTANT STORIES)
The #3 overall pick, VJ Edgecombe, got the best of the #4 overall pick Kon Knueppel. 17 points, 5 rebounds and the game winning bucket.
Kon finished with 4 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist and 1 turnover
Kon played like the same Kon we’ve seen in teal and purple. Always trying to make the right play. Full effort, hitting the floor. But he wasn’t looking to command the game in the same way that VJ, Jalen Tyson and Tre Johnson were. Unfortunately he missed a clutch bucket that would have turned the game back towards Team T-Mac.
Kon Knueppel was stuck with Tyson, Johnson and Kel’el Ware so there wasn’t much oxygen left in the offense for Kon
NEWS AND NOTES
There’s a target score of 40 for the opening games. No quarters.
Rising Stars was BURIED on Peacock. You really had to know what you were looking for.
Ashley ShahAhmadi on the sidelines for these games
THINGS I THINK I SAW
Kon teamed up with Cam Spencer, Tre Johnson, Kel’el Ware. Up against VJ Edgecombe and Derik Queen.
Tre Johnson running that same brush screen pop play that the Hornets run for Kon
Kon very involved early. Assist, rebound and slips for an BLOB layup.
Ware is playing terribly. Bad shots. Goaltend. Come on.
TRE JOHNSON BUCKETS! Pull up in transition over his own teammate to put Kon’s team up 15-7
Reggie says Kon is going to be one of the all time great ones. Whoa.
24-22 TMAC: GET RISACHER OUT OF THERE. HE IS MURDER.
Kon has spent WAY TOO MUCH TIME on the bench. Fire T-Mac.
Carter Bryant looks good out there. One of my pre-draft favorites.
Nice to see Jaylen Wells still out here hooping after KJ Simpson almost ended his career.
34-29 Vince - Kon misses the wide open 3 as Edgecombe knocks down back to back jacks
39-32 Vince - Edgecombe BLOWS BY Kon Knueppel. Yikes.
Kon nice assist to Cam to pull within 4
VJ EDGECOMBE STEP BACK MIDDY FOR THE WIN.
ALL-STAR CELEBRITY GAME
Team Giannis 65 - Team Anderson 58
WHY DID THE WIN? (AND OTHER IMPORTANT STORIES)
The former Charlotte Hornet Jeremy Lin hit an EIGHT point shot in the 4th quarter to give Team Giannis a 10 point lead
Rick Schnall looked like a guy that played a lot of basketball and he had some fun passes. He was looking to facilitate and connect, not score.
Best I can tell on a line: 2 pts, 1 ast, 1-2 reb
Jason Williams forced a turnover on him late but due to sub patterns the matchup that was much talked about pregame wasn’t featured much at all.
Mat Ishbia, the other owner in this game, was looking to score and make highlights. He played college ball under Izzo as a deep reserve so it’s a LITTLE different.
At least Rick wasn’t invisible. He was involved in one of the very few legit highlights in a game known more for lowlights. And he got a bucket in the 4th. C- grade.
NEWS AND NOTES
Jason Williams has beef with Rick Schnall and is on Team Anderson.
Coverage begins with Big Game James Worthy aka pride of Gastonia (my hometown) aka pride of the Ashbrook Greenwave (my alma mater) aka
Starters for Team Giannis: Lin, Bandy, Fall, Keegan and last year’s MVP Rome Flynn
Rick Schnall coming off the bench??! What’s his money even good for?
THINGS I THINK I SAW
PREGAME
Shams introduced. If you want to break NBA news now would be the time.
Announcer called us the SURGING Charlotte Hornets
Hornets LEGEND Jeremy Lin also on Schnall’s squad.
He helped make a playoff series. That gets you legend status in this era of Hornets hoops.
Giannis is Schnall’s coach. I’m checking EVERYONE’S Kalshi account
1st Quarter
Tacko Fall with a hard foul on the first possession lol. THIS WHAT WE WANT!
Team Giannis in an early hole. CALL IN THE BIG GUNS. Get that BIG RICK ENERGY in the game!!!
ATO SCHNALL STAR WEEKEND BEGINS
Immediate screen assist. He’s doing the little things that don’t show up in the boxscore.
Schnall has to grab these boards. Two off his hands.
2:17 - PASSES UP A WIDE OPEN SHOT for a Tacko post entry. What’s he doing?! He was on the RUFFLES LINE.
2nd Quarter
8:44 - Team Giannis getting SMOKED. Paper tigers.
0 minutes for Rick Schnall. Fire Giannis.
3rd Quarter
8:02 - Schnall great pass ahead to Dylan for an assist!
Schnall is the defacto backup point guard
Last year’s MVP Rome Flynn has been a non-factor
5:26 - I inspired Rome Flynn
4:59 - Another gadget. Team Giannis gets an extra defender mascot. AND IT’S HUGO!!!!
Okay so the mascots sub out every possession.
Listen, say what you want about Ishbia, he can still hoop. 3 years as a deep reserve EAT for MSU.
Poor Ruffles I don’t think we have a single shot from the Ruffles line
Fall with a clean 20-20-4b game. Lol. Including his was both a great idea and terrible idea.
4th Quarter
9:32 - There we go. Rick comes out aggressive and gets his first bucket an appropriate elbow jumper
8:45 - GREAT DEFENSE BY RICK.
8:01 - had nothing for Keenan Allen tho
Dylan is KILLING any chance of his own teammates doing something with the ball.
ROME FLYNN MY GAWD!!!
JEREMY LIN HITS THE RUFFLES 4 WITH SECONDS LEFT IN DOUBLE TIME. 8 POINTS!! BACK BREAKER
Oh yeah Double Time is a button each team could hit once in the 4th that would double every score for that team for 2 minutes
This game is nutty
Shams BARELY used in this game. Team coached by Giannis. Hilarious.
1:30 - SCHNALL FALLS. Announcers say it was a foul but it didn’t look like it.
1:09 - Schnall BAD TURNOVER forced by Jason Williams. He officially busted his ass.
TEAM GIANNIS WINS!!!
