Dalton Knecht responds to previous praise from LeBron James

The Los Angeles Lakers arguably landed the steal of the 2024 NBA Draft as they selected Dalton Knecht 17th overall. The consensus first-team All-American was viewed as one of the top prospects throughout the pre-draft process. LeBron James had previously praised Knecht during the NCAA Tournament, stating:

You’re going to watch Purdue because of Zach Edey because he’s a great player. We watched that Purdue and Tennessee game because of Zach Edey and Knecht. Players, depending on who they are, will drive the attention when it comes to the viewership.

LeBron James showed love to Dalton Knecht 2 months ago pic.twitter.com/dPxTIZfkpU

— Lakers Empire (@LakersEmpire) June 27, 2024

Knecht finished that game with 37 points while shooting 14-31 from the field and 6-12 from three-point range. The newest member of the Purple and Gold responded in comments shared by Mike Trudell, who tweeted:

Dalton Knecht asked about a clip of LeBron shouting him out: “I remember that clip, I woke up, rolled out of bed and thought that was fake because tons of people were texting me. I was like, ‘There’s no way.’ When I watched that video, it just brought a smile to my face, and also my parents. They called me right away and told me about it. That’s just going to be special, and it’s going to be fun just to be sharing the court with both of them, AD and ‘Bron, ‘Bron one of the greatest, so it’s going to be real special.”

Dalton Knecht asked about a clip of LeBron shouting him out: “I remember that clip, I woke up, rolled out of bed and thought that was fake because tons of people were texting me. I was like, ‘There’s no way.’ When I watched that video, it just brought a smile to my face, and also…

— Mike Trudell (@LakersReporter) June 27, 2024

Dalton Knecht reveals why he plays with a chip on his shoulder

Dalton Knecht was a consensus first-team All-American and the SEC Player of the Year in 2023-24. The former Tennessee Volunteers forward shared why he will always have a chip on his shoulder. In comments shared by Mike Trudell, the Los Angeles Lakers first-round draft pick stated:

I play with a chip on my shoulder every single time I touch a basketball or walk into a gym. I always feel like I got something to prove. It doesn’t matter where I’m at, it’s always going to be there and have that chip on my shoulder for feeling like I’ve been underrated my whole life. It’s going to be something that I carry for the rest of my career. [h/t NBA.com]

Knecht did not play varsity basketball until his junior year of high school. He was an unranked prospect in the 2019 recruiting class and did not receive any interest from college programs. Knecht began his college career with the Northeastern Junior College Plainsmen.

After two seasons, he joined the Northern Colorado Bears via the transfer portal. He spent two seasons with the Bears before transferring to Tennessee ahead of the 2023-24 season. Knecht averaged 21.7 points, 4.9 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 0.7 steals and 0.6 blocks per game while shooting 45.8% from the field, 39.7% from three-point range and 77.2% from the free-throw line.

Tennessee guard Dalton Knecht (3) makes a jump shot against Purdue during the second half of the NCAA tournament Midwest Regional Elite 8 round at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit on Sunday, March 31, 2024.

He averaged 26.0 ppg, 6.5 rpg, 2.0 apg, 0.8 spg and 0.3 bpg on 41.2/40.0/83.3 shooting splits in four NCAA Tournament games.

Thank you for reading The Dunk Central. Please follow us on Twitter for the latest news and insights on your favorite teams and players. It’s due to your support that we can become one of the market’s fastest-growing NBA outlets!