Charlotte Hornets rookie Kon Knueppel celebrated playing his first NBA game in his hometown of Milwaukee by hosting his new teammates for dinner.

Knueppel’s mother, Chari Nordgaard Knueppel, shared a photo of Knueppel, his brothers and his Hornets teammates at her home during this week’s home-and-home series against the Milwaukee Bucks.

Knueppel, who grew up as a fan of the Bucks, starred at Wisconsin Lutheran in Milwaukee before joining Duke as a member of the Class of 2024.

After helping the Blue Devils reach the Final Four and being selected by the Hornets as the No. 4 pick of the 2025 draft, Knueppel has established himself as one of Charlotte’s most productive players early in his rookie campaign.

Knueppel is so far averaging 16.6 points and 6.4 rebounds through the first 11 games of the season. He has seen both his minutes and usage spike over the Hornets’ last five contests, during which the team has been missing star playmaker LaMelo Ball to a right ankle injury.

Most recently, Knueppel posted 16 points and six rebounds while mostly facing AJ Green and Kyle Kuzma on defense Wednesday during the Hornets’ 111-110 win over the Bucks.

That victory snapped a three-game losing streak for the Hornets, who are off to a 4-7 start to the season amid injuries to key players including Ball and Brandon Miller.

Knueppel will hope to help his team improve on that record in front of his hometown crowd Friday night. The Hornets are set to tip off NBA Cup action against the Bucks at 8 p.m. ET.