19.9
PPG
6.4
RPG
5
APG
38.3
MPG
The first Duke ROY. Hill tied with Jason Kidd in a vote that set a tone for the next 30 years of Duke wings: do everything, do it well, do it without breaking the offense.
The Brotherhood at the NBA Awards · Updated April 7, 2026
Duke NBA Rookie of the Year Watch
Four Blue Devils have won the award. None of them won it easily. Two of them had to share it. Three of them were the #1 overall pick. Now, in 2025–26, two more Duke rookies — drafted back-to-back at #1 and #4 last June — are in a real fight for a fifth.
4 Winners All-Time2 Live Candidates1 Trophy Up For Grabs
§1 · The 2025–26 Race
Will it be Flagg, Knueppel, or neither?
With one week left in the regular season, the betting markets have flipped twice. Cooper Flagg opened the year as the most-favored preseason ROY pick on record at DraftKings (-225). Kon Knueppel — Flagg's college roommate at Duke and the #4 overall pick by Charlotte — chased him down in March on the back of a record-shattering three-point shooting season. Then Flagg dropped 51 points on the Magic and 45 on the Lakers in back-to-back games, becoming the first teenager in NBA history to score 50 in a single game and the first rookie since Allen Iverson to average 45+/5/5 over a two-game span. As of April 7, 2026, Flagg is back in front.
Dallas Mavericks · #1 overall (2025)
Cooper Flagg
Current ROY favorite (DraftKings, -250 as of 4/7)
70
G
21
PPG
6.7
RPG
4.5
APG
The case: He's the #1 overall pick, the centerpiece of a banged-up Dallas team that has asked him to do absolutely everything. He has three of the four 45-point performances ever recorded by a teenager in NBA history. The other five rookies in NBA history with three or more 45-point games — Bellamy, Chamberlain, Jordan, Earl Monroe, Lew Alcindor — all won Rookie of the Year.
Charlotte Hornets · #4 overall (2025)
Kon Knueppel
Led the entire NBA in rookie 3-pointers (record holder)
81
G
18.5
PPG
5.3
RPG
3.4
APG
The case: 265 made threes — a rookie record — at a 43% clip on near-50/40/90 splits. He has played 12 more games than Flagg, his Hornets are fighting for an Eastern Conference playoff spot at 43-36, and Rookie of the Year voters have historically rewarded winning. He spent the entire month of March as the betting favorite, and the public ticket count still has him out in front.
The Dark Horse
VJ Edgecombe (Philadelphia 76ers)
Not a Duke player, but worth knowing about: Baylor's VJ Edgecombe is the consensus third candidate at +1100 odds. He'd have to win to keep Duke from celebrating a fifth ROY winner. Recent ESPN voter polls have shown a near-three-way split between Flagg, Knueppel, and Edgecombe — meaning a Duke sweep of the top two ballots is no longer a guarantee.
§2 · The All-Time List
Every Duke NBA Rookie of the Year, ranked by the only stat that matters: did they win?
Four Duke players have won the NBA Rookie of the Year Award. Half of them had to share it. The other half — Kyrie Irving and Paolo Banchero — won outright after being the #1 overall pick in their respective drafts. Every Duke ROY in history has been at least a top-3 pick. Here is how each one's rookie season looked, compared to the two candidates currently chasing the trophy.
| Season | Player | G | PPG | RPG | APG | Outcome | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1994–95 | Grant Hill | 70 | 19.9 | 6.4 | 5 | Tie (Jason Kidd) | ||
| 1999–2000 | Elton Brand | 81 | 20.1 | 10 | 1.6 | Tie (Steve Francis) | ||
| 2011–12 | Kyrie Irving | 51 | 18.5 | 3.7 | 5.4 | Outright | ||
| 2022–23 | Paolo Banchero | 72 | 20 | 6.9 | 3.7 | Outright | ||
↓ Currently in the race ↓ | ||||||||
| 2025–26 | Cooper Flagg | 70 | 21 | 6.7 | 4.5 | Favorite | ||
| 2025–26 | Kon Knueppel | 81 | 18.5 | 5.3 | 3.4 | Contender | ||
All historical stat lines verified against Basketball-Reference.com. 2025–26 stats live from
data/duke_nba_players.json and update on rebuild.§3 · The Hall
The Four Who Already Did It
20.1
PPG
10
RPG
1.6
APG
37
MPG
Brand averaged a 20-and-10 as a 20-year-old on a post-Jordan Bulls team that won 17 games. He's the only Duke ROY who was a #1 overall pick — and he tied Steve Francis for the trophy.
18.5
PPG
3.7
RPG
5.4
APG
30.5
MPG
The first Duke player to win Rookie of the Year outright — no tie. Irving had played just 11 college games before he was drafted #1 overall, and he still walked into the NBA and made it look easy. Lockout-shortened season, 51 games, runaway winner.
20
PPG
6.9
RPG
3.7
APG
33.8
MPG
The most recent Duke ROY. Banchero was the unanimous winner — 98 of 100 first-place votes — after taking over the Magic offense from day one. The first Duke ROY to play more than 71 games and average 20+ in the same season.
§4 · Context
Things to know about Duke and the Rookie of the Year award
Every Duke ROY has been a top-3 pick. Grant Hill went #3 to Detroit in 1994. Elton Brand went #1 to Chicago in 1999. Kyrie Irving went #1 to Cleveland in 2011. Paolo Banchero went #1 to Orlando in 2022. The only Blue Devil who has ever won the award without being a #1 overall pick was Hill — and he tied for it.
Half of all Duke ROY winners had to share the trophy. Hill split it with Jason Kidd in 1995. Brand split it with Steve Francis in 2000. The NBA has only had three ROY ties in the entire history of the award (the third was Dave Cowens and Geoff Petrie in 1971), and Duke players were involved in two of them.
Last year's near-miss: Jared McCain. The 2024–25 NBA season had Duke fans circling Jared McCain's name in November. The 16th overall pick had become the runaway ROY favorite for Philadelphia, averaging 15.3 points off the bench while leading all rookies in 20-point games. Then he tore his lateral meniscus in mid-December, missed the rest of the year, and finished with one third-place vote in the final ballot. The award went to Stephon Castle of San Antonio. McCain would have made it five Duke ROY winners a full season earlier.
The other Duke top-five draftees who didn't win. Jayson Tatum (#3 overall, 2017) finished third in 2018 voting behind Ben Simmons. Zion Williamson (#1 overall, 2019) had his rookie year reduced to 24 games by injury and finished fourth behind Ja Morant. Marvin Bagley III (#2 overall, 2018) had a productive rookie year for Sacramento but lost to Luka Dončić. Brandon Ingram (#2 overall, 2016) was on a 76ers Hinkie-era roster and lost to Malcolm Brogdon. Jabari Parker (#2 overall, 2014) tore his ACL after 25 games and lost to Andrew Wiggins. Being a top Duke pick has not automatically meant ROY — it has meant being in the conversation, year after year.
The Krzyzewski-era count. Coach K's teams produced four NBA Rookies of the Year over 41 seasons (1980–2022): Hill, Brand, Irving, and Banchero. That is more than any college program except Kentucky. Jon Scheyer, in his fourth season as head coach, has already produced two Top 5 NBA picks in a single draft (Flagg #1, Knueppel #4, June 2025) and could deliver his first ROY winner before he turns 38.
§5 · FAQ
Frequently asked
How many Duke players have won NBA Rookie of the Year?
Four. Grant Hill (1994–95, tied with Jason Kidd), Elton Brand (1999–2000, tied with Steve Francis), Kyrie Irving (2011–12, outright), and Paolo Banchero (2022–23, outright). Two more Duke rookies — Cooper Flagg and Kon Knueppel — are in serious contention for the 2025–26 award.
Who was the first Duke NBA Rookie of the Year?
Grant Hill, in 1994–95, when he tied with Dallas Mavericks point guard Jason Kidd. Hill averaged 19.9 points, 6.4 rebounds, and 5.0 assists per game for the Detroit Pistons.
Who was the most recent Duke NBA Rookie of the Year?
Paolo Banchero won it for the Orlando Magic in 2022–23 with averages of 20.0 points, 6.9 rebounds, and 3.7 assists. He received 98 of 100 first-place votes.
Who is favored to win the 2025–26 NBA Rookie of the Year award?
As of April 7, 2026, Cooper Flagg of the Dallas Mavericks is the betting favorite at -250 (DraftKings) after a weekend in which he scored 51 points against Orlando and 45 against the Lakers. Charlotte's Kon Knueppel — also a Duke alum — was the favorite for most of March and remains a strong second at +180.
Have any Duke ROY winners gone on to be NBA All-Stars?
All four Duke Rookies of the Year became All-Stars. Grant Hill made seven All-Star teams. Elton Brand made two. Kyrie Irving has made nine. Paolo Banchero made his first All-Star Game in his second season (2023–24).
Has Duke ever had two Rookie of the Year candidates in the same year?
Not until now. The 2025–26 season is the first time in Duke basketball history that two former Blue Devils have credibly competed for the same NBA Rookie of the Year award. Flagg and Knueppel were teammates for one year at Duke under head coach Jon Scheyer (2024–25), reaching the Final Four together.
This page updates as the 2025–26 race develops. Live stats refresh from our NBA stats data file on every site rebuild.