Dallas Mavericks first overall pick Cooper Flagg was named the 2025-26 NBA Rookie of the Year, and it was a thrillingly close vote in the end.

Flagg narrowly beat out Charlotte Hornets’ sharpshooter Kon Knueppel, his fellow Duke Blue Devils star who went three picks later than Flagg in last year’s draft, earning 56 first-place votes compared to Knueppel’s 44. So, Flagg finished with 412 total vote points to Knueppel’s 386.

Philadelphia 76ers guard VJ Edgecombe finished in third place with 96 points (93 third-place votes), while San Antonio Spurs’ Dylan Harper and Memphis Grizzlies Cedric Coward also got third-place votes.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM

Dallas Mavericks forward Cooper Flagg controls the ball in the second half against the Minnesota Timberwolves in Dallas, Texas, on March 30, 2026. (Gareth Patterson/AP Photo)

Flagg marked the second-youngest player to ever win the award, as the 19-year-old was only behind Los Angeles Lakers’ LeBron James.

For most of the season, it appeared Knueppel was going to win the award, but multiple voters came out publicly and said Knueppel’s Play-In Tournament struggles factored into them changing their minds for Flagg.

MAVERICKS’ COOPER FLAGG ADMITS ROOKIE SEASON HAS BEEN ‘MENTALLY TAXING’ AMID THE TEAM’S STRUGGLES

Knueppel had just six points on 2-of-12 shooting in 34 minutes during the Hornets’ electric 127-126 overtime win over the Miami Heat at the start of the tournament. Then, in the 121-90 loss to the Orlando Magic, he shot 3 of 11 for 11 points (4 of 5 from the free-throw line as well), and he posted a minus-26 while on the court.

Flagg noted being keen on what Knueppel was doing during the year, showing love to his fellow rookie.

Dallas Mavericks forward Cooper Flagg watches from the bench during the second quarter against the Orlando Magic at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas, on April 3, 2026. (Jerome Miron/Imagn Images)

“I see the games every  night. I can check the box scores,” he said about watching Knueppel’s stat lines closely, per ESPN. “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.”

Flagg averaged 21 points, 6.7 rebounds and 4.5 assists per game this year for the Mavericks. Those numbers had him among some NBA greats, as Larry Bird, Michael Jordan and Luka Doncic were the only rookiesMichael Jordan and Luka Doncic were the only rookies before Flagg to average at least 20 points, six rebounds and four assists since the NBA-ABA merger, ESPN pointed out. Flagg also led all rookies in scoring this season.

As for Knueppel, he dropped 18.5 points per game with 5.3 rebounds and 3.5 assists, but while Flagg had him beat in those categories, he reset the rookie 3-pointers made record with 273. That number also led the NBA this season. Knueppel was also a key piece in the Hornets getting into the Play-In Tournament to begin with, finishing 44-38 before being eliminated by the Magic.

Dallas Mavericks forward Cooper Flagg dribbles during the second half of an NBA game against the Los Angeles Lakers in Dallas on April 5, 2026. (LM Otero/AP)

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

Flagg and the Mavs didn’t fare too well this season, finishing 26-56, though he led the team in scoring, rebounding and assists this season. Despite the losses, Flagg continued to show that age didn’t matter, becoming the youngest player to ever have games with 35, 40, 45 and 50 points.

Follow Fox News Digital’s sports coverage on X and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.

NEW YORK (AP) — Former NBA player and assistant coach Damon Jones is set to plead guilty Tuesday to charges he cashed in on rigged poker games and gave sports bettors nonpublic injury information about stars, including his one-time teammate LeBron James.

Barring a last-minute change, Jones will become the first person to plead guilty in a gambling sweep that led to the arrests of more than 30 people, including reputed mobsters and other basketball figures.

Advertisement

None of the other defendants have shown a willingness to plead guilty. On Monday, prosecutors said they were seeking additional charges against a co-defendant in the betting case, former Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier.

Jones, 49, is scheduled to appear at back-to-back plea change hearings in Brooklyn federal court before Magistriate Judge Joseph Marutollo. Court records show he is expected to plead guilty to at least one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud.

Jones previously pleaded not guilty in both cases to charges of wire fraud conspiracy and money laundering conspiracy. Both charges carry a maximum punishment of 20 years in prison. He remains free on bail.

Jones’ lawyer, Kenneth Montgomery, declined to comment.

Advertisement

Jones was arrested last October along with Rozier, Portland Trail Blazers head coach and Basketball Hall of Famer Chauncey Billups, and others, including a sports bettor accused of cashing in on injury information.

Jones was one of three people charged in both the poker and sports betting schemes.

Jones, originally from Galveston, Texas, earned more than $20 million playing for 10 teams in 11 seasons from 1999 to 2009. He and James played together in Cleveland from 2005 to 2008, and Jones served as an unofficial assistant coach for James’ Los Angeles Lakers during the 2022-2023 season.

Prosecutors say Jones sold or attempted to sell nonpublic information to bettors that James and former Lakers forward Anthony Davis were injured and either wouldn’t be playing or would play less time in certain games.

Advertisement

In the poker scheme, prosecutors say Jones was among former NBA players used to lure unwitting players into poker games that were rigged using altered shuffling machines, hidden cameras, special sunglasses and even X-ray equipment built into the table.

According to the indictment, Jones was paid $2,500 for a game in the Hamptons where he was instructed to cheat by paying close attention to others involved in the scheme. When in doubt, Jones was told to fold his hand, prosecutors said.

In response, according to prosecutors, Jones texted: “Y’all know I know what I’m doing!!”

Naoya Inoue is set for an iconic battle with Junto Nakatani this weekend, in what will be the biggest fight in Japanese boxing history. Following that potentially legacy-defining bout, ‘The Monster’ wants another major match-up.

Inoue has ruled in four weight divisions and had been linked with a featherweight debut if successful in defending his undisputed super-bantamweight crown against Nakatani on Saturday.

However, the 32-year-old has revealed that his clash with Nakatani will be his penultimate one at 122lbs, with plans to stick around for one more fight in the division despite appearing to have cleaned it out.

As a result, rumours have emerged that Inoue could take on unified super-flyweight champion and fellow pound-for-pound star, Jesse ‘Bam’ Rodriguez – who debuts as a bantamweight against Antonio Vargas in June – before moving to featherweight and out of the Texan’s reach.

In a game of ‘yes or no’ with DAZN Boxing, Inoue confirmed his interest in a showdown with Rodriguez and confidently forecasted that he would come out on top against the undefeated 26-year-old southpaw.

“Yes, [I would love to fight Jesse Rodriguez].”

“[Would I beat him?] Yes.”

Rodriguez will become a three-division champion if able to trump Vargas on Saturday, June 13, but he would usurp Inoue as the pound-for-pound king if he were to hand the Japanese sensation a first career defeat – providing Nakatani doesn’t do it this coming Saturday at the Tokyo Dome.

‘Bam’ Rodriguez has also expressed his interest in the fight, saying he would take it without hesitation should it present itself. With boxing power broker Turki Alalshikh close to both men, it might just.

This article originally appeared on SteelersNOW.com.

The Pittsburgh Steelers agreed to terms with undrafted free agent linebacker Daylan Carnell, the team announced on Monday.

Carnell, who stands at 6-foot-2, 233 pounds, recorded 175 career tackles, 19.5 tackles for loss, 22 passes defended, five interceptions, four forced fumbles and three sacks in his five seasons at Missouri. Carnell played a hybrid safety/linebacker role in Missouri’s defense the last three years. He also returned two interceptions for touchdowns in his career.

Advertisement

In 2025, Carnell made 12 starts and played in all 13 games. He posted 41 tackles (22 solo) with 6.5 for loss … Picked off one pass and batted four others down. The Indianapolis native was a three-year starter at Missouri.

Carnell’s best season came in 2023, when he registered 51 tackles, six tackles for loss, seven pass deflections, two forced fumbles, and a pick six.

Click here to read more from SteelersNOW.com.

Download the FREE WPXI News app for breaking news alerts.

Follow Channel 11 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch WPXI NOW

Seth Rollins came out in the opening segment of Monday Night RAW and had quite the intense segment, with a huge match finally being set (but not made official yet). He blamed a 28-year-old star for not headlining WrestleMania this year.

Technically speaking, Seth Rollins has headlined WrestleMania thrice. However, he has only had two proper WrestleMania main events – headlining the Saturday editions of WrestleMania 40 and 41. Last year, he was victorious in the main event of night one as he defeated both Roman Reigns and CM Punk, which is where the entire Vision storyline began. However, his alliance with Paul Heyman didn’t quite work out, and his World Heavyweight Championship reign ended with The Vision brutalizing him. And as it looked like he returned on time and would have been ready to face Bron Breakker, he ended up facing Gunther instead at WrestleMania 42. Las Vegas was where Bron Breakker made his comeback, and he cost Seth Rollins big time.

Seth Rollins told Bron Breakker that he was the reason he didn’t headline WrestleMania 42 this year.

The entire segment was made to set the stage for the clash between Rollins and Bron Breakker. Breakker didn’t exactly sit silently as well. He completely roasted Rollins, telling him that he was the best at being second-best.

That’s a huge shot because Rollins has infamously been in that #2 spot in the company for quite a long time, never quite reaching the level of Roman Reigns despite having a fantastic record against The OTC in head-to-head competition. It’s one of those paradoxes that will be looked back on because Rollins has almost always had Reigns’ number, especially in big matches where it has mattered the most, but he could never quite reach the same heights that his Shield brother did.