{
  "id": 9943270,
  "title": "‘Already tanking’ – Fans react to Kon Knueppel and Grant Williams injury news less than a month before the NBA season",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/26/already-tanking-fans-react-to-kon-knueppel-and-grant-williams-injury",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-09-26T08:02:03.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Yahoo Sports",
    "slug": "yahoo-sports",
    "url": "https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/already-tanking-fans-react-kon-080203336.html"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "The Charlotte Hornets have announced that Kon Knueppel and Grant Williams, two key players, have suffered injuries during offseason training and will miss some time. Both players are expected to miss preseason games and will be re-evaluated during the first week of the regular season. Knueppel, a second-year player, suffered a left hamstring injury, while Williams, a veteran presence, has a right hamstring injury. Knueppel had a successful rookie season, averaging 18.5 points per game and shooting 42.5% from three-point range. Williams, known for his defensive skills and three-point shooting, was expected to have a great sophomore season after recovering from his ACL injury. With both players out at the start of the season, fans are expressing disappointment and skepticism about the team's plans, with some even accusing the franchise of tanking.",
  "summary": "The Charlotte Hornets announced that two of their key players, Kon Knueppel and Grant Williams, had suffered injuries during offseason training and are set to miss some time. The franchise posted an official statement in which it was confirmed that both players would miss out on preseason games, and would be re-evaluated during the first week of the regular season.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}