The 2026 NBA Rookie of the Year odds race is hitting the finale, and the preseason favorite continues to lose ground in this race.
No. 1-overall pick Cooper Flagg has been the clear odds-on favorite most of the season, sitting as short as -700 (an implied probability of 87.5%) over a month ago.
However, Charlotte's Kon Knueppel (his teammate at Duke last season) leapfrogged him a few weeks ago — and has now grown his lead to sit at -330, averaging almost 19 points, five rebounds, and four assists per game since February.
Current NBA Rookie of the Year odds
| Player |  |
Implied probability |
|---|---|---|
 Kon Knueppel |
-330 | 76.74% |
 Cooper Flagg |
+240 | 29.41% |
 V.J. Edgecombe |
+25000 | 0.40% |
Odds from bet365, one of our best betting apps. Sign up with our bet365 promo code, or get one of our other sportsbook promos.
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Latest NBA Rookie of the Year betting splits
Highest ticket percentage
• Kon Knueppel 25.4%
• V.J. Edgecombe 18.7%
• Cooper Flagg 16.1%
Highest betting handle percentage
• Kon Knueppel 48.2%
• Cooper Flagg 20.0%
• V.J. Edgecombe 14.2%
Biggest liability
• V.J. Edgecombe
Data courtesy of BetMGM.
Covers NBA betting tools
NBA Rookie of the Year opening odds
- Cooper Flagg -225
- Ace Bailey +900
- V.J. Edgecombe +1100
- Tre Johnson +1100
- Dylan Harper +1300
- Kon Knueppel +2000
- Hansen Yang +5000
- Walter Clayton Jr. +5000
- Jeremiah Fears +6600
- Nique Clifford +6600
- Cedric Coward +8000
- Derik Queen +15000
Odds courtesy of Sports Odds History.
NBA ROY betting trends
Here are some trends to keep in mind when betting on NBA Rookie of the Year:
- The No. 1 pick has won Rookie of the Year four times in the past 10 seasons.
- Bigs (PF/C) haven't had much success in ROY recently, with just four wins in the last 20 seasons.
- Only one ROY winner this century (Malcolm Brogdon, 36th, 2016) was drafted outside of the lottery.
- The Rookie of the Year has been drafted in the Top 5 in 16 of the past 20 seasons.
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NBA Rookie of the Year history
| Year | NBA ROY Winner | Opening Odds | Pick No. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 |  Stephon Castle |
+1200 | 4 |
| 2023-24 | Victor Wembanyama |
-145 | 1 |
| 2022-23 |  Paolo Banchero |
+200 | 1 |
| 2021-22 |  Scottie Barnes |
+1100 | 4 |
| 2020-21 | LaMelo Ball |
+400 | 3 |
| 2019-20 |  Ja Morant |
+250 | 2 |
| 2018-19 | Luka Doncic |
+250 | 3 |
| 2017-18 | Ben Simmons |
+225 | 1 |
| 2016-17 |  Malcolm Brogdon |
N/A | 36 |
| 2015-16 |  Karl-Anthony Towns |
+450 | 1 |
| 2014-15 | Andrew Wiggins |
+400 | 1 |
| 2013-14 | Michael Carter-Williams | +1200 | 11 |
| 2012-13 |  Damian Lillard |
+500 | 6 |
| 2011-12 |  Kyrie Irving |
+500 | 1 |
| 2010-11 |  Blake Griffin |
+200 | 1 |
| 2009-10 |  Tyreke Evans |
+700 | 4 |
| 2008-09 |  Derrick Rose |
+350 | 1 |
| 2007-08 |  Kevin Durant |
-200 | 2 |
| 2006-07 | Brandon Roy |
+300 | 6 |
| 2005-06 |  Chris Paul |
N/A | 4 |
| 2004-05 | Emeka Okafor |
N/A | 2 |
| 2003-04 | LeBron James |
+150 | 1 |
NBA Rookie of the Year odds FAQ
Charlotte's Kon Knueppel is the heavy odds-on favorite to win ROY, followed by Cooper Flagg of the Dallas Mavericks.
San Antonio's Stephon Castle won the 2024 NBA ROY.
The first overall pick has won ROY 22 times since 1953.
Yes, three times in fact. The award was shared by Elton Brand and Steve Francis (2000), Grant Hill and Jason Kidd (1995) and Dave Cowens and Geoff Petrie (1971).
Fourth-overall pick Kon Knueppel is currently -330 to win, which is a 77% implied probability.
