Kon Knueppel and Cooper Flagg were 1 point away from reaching NBA history

The NBA's Rookie of the Year race is basically down to two players, and it shouldn't come as a surprise that they're both former Duke Blue Devils.

Cooper Flagg and Kon Knueppel have absolutely lit up the league throughout the beginning of their rookie campaigns, and this unbelievable stat showed just how good the two have been so far.

Knueppel and Flagg were just one point shy of becoming the fourth-ever pair of rookies to both score 1,000 points before the All-Star break. The other three pairs? Well, you might recognize a couple of the names.

Cooper Flagg, Kon Knueppel in good company before All-Star break

The only rookie pairs to have both players score 1,000 points before the All-Star break were Michael Jordan and Hakeem Olajuwon in the 1984-85 season, LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony in the 2003-04 season, and Paolo Banchero and Bennedict Mathurin in the 2022-23 season.

What a group to nearly be apart of.

And, while the former Duke duo couldn't quite reach the milestone, they simply could not have been any closer.

Knueppel scored 1,021 points ahead of the All-Star Break. Flagg scored 999, falling just one point (a simple free throw) short of joining the elite group.

Cooper Flagg rookie stats before All-Star break

• 20.4 points per game (999 total)
• 6.6 rebounds per game (321 total)
• 4.1 assists per game (202 total)
• 1.2 steals per game (58 total)
• 0.8 blocks per game (39 total)

Flagg is the frontrunner for Rookie of the Year, leading Knueppel in nearly every statistical category. Despite his incredible season so far, the Dallas Mavericks have fallen well short of success, going 19-34 through the first half of the season.

Kon Knueppel rookie stats before All-Star break

• 18.9 points per game (1,021 total)
• 5.5 rebounds per game (297 total)
• 3.6 assists per game (192 total)
• 0.7 steals per game (37 total)
• 0.2 blocks per game (13 total)

While Knueppel's stats are just short of Flagg's numbers, the Charlotte Hornets have found infinite success compared to the Mavs, starting the season with a 23-26 record and landing 3rd in the Southeast Division.