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The Charlotte Hornets made history on Sunday after winning their first-ever championship in the NBA Summer League.
The Hornets beat the Sacramento Kings, 83-78, in the finals at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas. They staved off the furious rally of the Kings, who stormed back from an 11-point deficit in the fourth quarter.
Kon Kneuppel led the charge for the Hornets with a team-high 21 points, although he struggled from the field with 8-of-21 field goals. He added five rebounds and two assists. The fourth overall pick, who had an encouraging message from Dallas Mavericks star Klay Thompson, was named MVP of the tournament. The Hornets were unbeaten in five games heading to the finals.
Ryan Kalkbrenner provided support with 15 points and nine rebounds, while KJ Simpson chipped in 11 points, seven rebounds, and five assists.
THE HORNETS ARE YOUR 2025 SUMMER LEAGUE CHAMPIONS 🏆
This makes it the first time in franchise history that Charlotte has won it.pic.twitter.com/7J63gonGwT
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) July 21, 2025
The milestone victory should be a huge morale-booster for the Hornets, who have been mired in mediocrity for nearly a decade. They have failed to qualify for the playoffs for nine consecutive seasons.
Fans expressed their support for Charlotte for finally having something to be proud of.
“Wow! Never expected this to happen,” said @DegenArchit3ct.
“They deserve it. What a nice performance,” added @xFactorSOL.
“Best thing they’ve done since they drafted Kobe,” wrote @parker3cox.
“Hornets kicked ass and took names all the way to the chip. Nice job, fellas. KJ Simpson showed his experience. In every game, he was the leader. Good job, Hornets,” commented @gemini0884.
“Playoff bound. Bookmark this,” declared @BishopWTBz.
An X user couldn't help but post a GIF of the infamous quote of Boston Celtics legend Kevin Garnett after they won the championship in 2008.
Last season, the Hornets finished with the second-worst record in the Eastern Conference at 19-63, trailing only the Washington Wizards.
Aside from Kneuppel, the squad will rely on holdovers LaMelo Ball, Miles Bridges and Brandon Miller and offseason additions Collin Sexton and Spencer Dinwiddie to build on the momentum from their historic crown in the summer tournament.
