Kon Knueppel, even on a stacked Duke team, is a major reason the Blue Devils are playing in the Final Four.
The freshman guard from Wisconsin was second on the team with 14.4 points per game behind fellow first-year phenom Cooper Flagg and is projected to be a first-round pick in the NBA draft if he chooses to forgo another year in Durham. It makes sense that the son of two parents who had accomplished basketball careers in their own right—mom Shari at Wisconsin Green-Bay and dad Kon at Wisconsin Lutheran—would find his own success but the younger Knueppel wasn't particularly interested in the sport until his mom introduced NBA Jam into the equation.
CBS Sports' Tracy Wolfson told the story during the first half of Duke-Houston:
"She went out, she bought him a Wii, NBA Jam and he became obsessed," Wolfson said.
Kon Knueppel wasn't always into basketball, but his mom wanted to get him into the game.
— CBS Sports (@CBSSports) April 6, 2025
How'd she make it happen? NBA Jam. @tracywolfson with the story. pic.twitter.com/guwI5xsQp1
If that sounds strange, then you weren't around for the 1990s. That's how a huge swath of young fans got super into the game. A few boomshakalakas and underhanded buzzer-beaters from the opposite free-throw line and suddenly we were hooked.
Great to see one of the most iconic sporting titles in video game history is still inspiring.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Duke Star Didn’t Get Into Basketball Until His Mom Bought Him ‘NBA Jam’.
