Hornets Hold Off Kings to Win First Summer League Championship
The Charlotte Hornets defeated the Sacramento Kings 83-78 in the NBA 2K25 Summer League Championship on Sunday night. This is the first Summer League Championship for the Hornets, who finished their time in Vegas undefeated. The big standout of the game was Kon Knueppel, the sharpshooter that the Hornets took with the fourth pick in last month’s NBA Draft. The former Duke Blue Devil was named MVP after finishing the game with 21 points and five rebounds. Knueppel hit the biggest shot of the game when, in under thirty seconds, he put the Hornets up by four when he hit a big-time three-point shot from the left side of the court. This was a surprising, but exceptional win for the Hornets and their fans as the team looks to build off this huge win as the regular season starts in three months.
At the start of the game, the Hornets hit the ground running by playing pick-and-roll with their guards and big man Ryan Kalkbrenner, who finished with 15 points and nine rebounds. Kalkbrenner has been another bright spot for the team. The former Creighton Bluejay has been a menace on both ends of the court, coming up huge in the paint and making timely blocks throughout the summer. He has emerged as a strong contender to start the season on the roster as the backup or starting center. The Hornets led by as many as 18 points in the game before the Kings started chipping away at the lead to get it within single digits. One of the main strengths of this Hornets team was their three-point shooting. They shot 31 percent from three as a team and were able to stretch their lead using the three-point shot. For a team that struggled to shoot the three-ball last year, this is a good sign that the team has drafted and developed three-point shooters such as KJ Simpson, Knueppel, and Liam McNeely.
As the Kings rallied within the last few minutes of the game, the Hornets remained composed and disciplined on the court. Veteran guard play was crucial to escape the pressure defense from Sacramento, and when the Kings ran a zone defense, the Hornets made timely three-point shots to put the game to bed. The final dagger was Knueppel’s three-point shot. Now, the Hornets and fans can celebrate a championship and remain hopeful that the team is turning a corner in getting out of the basement of the Eastern Conference. The hope is there, and now it is all about building off the momentum of a huge win that the team got this summer.
