Carmelo Anthony has revealed he recently changed his Rookie of the Year choice, offering fresh insight during an ESPN broadcast last Sunday.
The former NBA star, widely regarded as one of the league’s greatest scorers, made the admission before Cooper Flagg’s 46-point performance against the Los Angeles Lakers.
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Anthony had previously backed another candidate, but his stance shifted after reassessing the impact and consistency that the Dallas star has shown across the season.
Carmelo Anthony switches Rookie of the Year pick to Cooper Flagg
Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images
Anthony explained that he initially supported Kon Knueppel due to his role and influence within the Charlotte Hornets set-up.
“My pick for Rookie of the Year was [Kon] Knueppel, only for what they are doing in Charlotte, his role in Charlotte, his impact,” he began by saying.
However, he admitted Flagg’s performances ultimately changed his view, pointing to his scoring output and all-round contribution.
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The ten-times NBA All-Star stated: “But when you really look at what Cooper Flagg is actually doing, one of the youngest to score 50+ the other night… We talk about star power, we talk about faces of the league. Cooper has everything that you could possibly want from a young superstar. He plays hard, he fills up every statistical category.
“We talk about Wemby all the time with the stat stuffing, and he’s going to be that from now to the end of time. I don’t see too many young players that have what Cooper Flagg has. I’m going to go with Cooper [for the ROY award].”
Kon Knueppel still making history despite Anthony’s change
Despite Anthony’s shift, Knueppel continues to build a strong case through historic achievements this season.
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A few weeks ago, the Hornets rookie became the youngest player ever to reach 250 three-pointers, surpassing marks previously set by Stephen Curry and Anthony Edwards.
He reached the milestone at just 20 years old, underlining his elite shooting ability and placing him among a select group of high-level perimeter scorers.
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