CGC Featured Card of the Month: 2025-26 Topps Chrome #254 Kon Knueppel Rookie Card

Sport: Basketball

Set: 2025-26 Topps Chrome

Card: #254 Kon Knueppel Rookie Card

What makes it special? After playing only one collegiate season for the Duke Blue Devils, sharpshooter Kon Knueppel declared for the 2025 NBA Draft and was selected by the Charlotte Hornets with the No. 4 overall pick. The 6'6" shooting guard/small forward made an instant impact during the 2025 NBA Summer League session, leading the Hornets to a preseason championship. In addition, Knueppel's preseason contributions earned him the Summer League Championship MVP Award.

The Wisconsin native carried his superb play into the regular season, proving that he belonged in the NBA at only 20 years old. Knueppel fit in seamlessly with the Hornets' young core, which includes LaMelo Ball, Brandon Miller and Miles Bridges. He has played with poise and has been extremely efficient while on the court, as he currently holds a 48.9% field goal percentage and a 43.8% 3-point percentage.

In fact, Knueppel is already among the league's best shooters, as he's firmly placed in the top 10 of every major 3-point category as of mid-March, including 3-pointers attempted (6th place), 3-pointers made (1st place) and 3-point percentage (tied for 6th place). He's recorded several career highs, surpassing 30+ points in multiple games, while also earning multiple nominations for Eastern Conference Player of the Week and being named Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month for November 2025.

Knueppel has played a major role for the Hornets during his rookie season and seems to have been the missing link for Charlotte's young and talented squad. After a slow start to the season, the Hornets have fought back to get in the playoff hunt and now currently have a .500 record (31-31) after winning 21 of their last 31 games. Charlotte has not made the playoffs since 2016 and has not won a playoff series since 2002, but those days might finally be coming to a close. Knueppel and his teammates are not only making the Hornets relevant once again, but they look to have built one of the most exciting young teams in the NBA today.

Did you know? Kon Knueppel has been nothing short of a revelation when it comes to long-distance shooting, as the Hornets star has already broken numerous records. He has set milestones throughout the season, becoming the fastest NBA player to ever hit 50 three-pointers in only 15 games. Two games later, Knueppel also set a record for most 3-pointers made in a player's first 17 games with 63 made threes, which far outpaced the previous record of 47 made threes.

The next major milestone was Knueppel's 100th career 3-pointer, which he earned in late December 2025 in only his 29th game, breaking the record by 12 games. The sharpshooter also broke the record for the fastest player to ever make 200 career 3-pointers, which only took him 58 games compared to the previous record holder's 69 games.

Finally, Knueppel made NBA history once again when he hit his 207th career 3-pointer in just his 59th game of the season, breaking the record for most threes by a rookie. Currently sitting at 228 3-pointers made, and with 16 games left in the regular season, Knueppel has already shattered the previous record and continues to widen the gap each game.

Total graded by CGC Cards: There are 48 graded examples of the standard card in the CGC Cards Population Report, as of early March 2026. CGC Cards has also graded numerous parallels of the same card: X-Fractor (17), Refractor (14), Red White & Blue Refractor (6), Basketball Refractor (5), Prism Refractor (3), Blue Refractor (3), Negative Refractor (3), Pulsar Refractor (2), RayWave Refractor (2), Skylight Refractor (2), Blue Wave Refractor (1), Teal Refractor (1), Yellow Refractor (1), Orange Refractor (1) Green Basketball Refractor (1), Gold Geometric Refractor (1) and Gold RayWave Refractor (1).

CGC Cards median grade: CGC 9

CGC Cards highest graded: Out of 48 total graded base card examples, 12 have earned CGC Gem Mint 10. No base set or parallel cards have received the coveted CGC Pristine 10 grade.

Sales highlights: Several examples of the 2025-26 Topps Chrome #254 rookie card and its many parallels have sold through Fanatics Collect, with 12 base cards selling on the platform in February and March 2026. The highest realized price was for a base example graded CGC Gem Mint 10, which realized $43.20 on February 8. Parallels that have sold on Fanatics Collect include two Prism Refractors, two Refractors, three X-Fractors, two Yellow Refractors, one Blue Wave Refractor and one Green Basketball Refractor. A Teal Refractor certified CGC Authentic realized $200 in February 2026 (pictured below) and a Blue Refractor certified CGC Authentic realized $372 in February 2026 (pictured below).

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