LeBron James shouts out Dalton Knecht and Tennessee on live TV after Lakers' win against the Grizzlies
Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James had plenty of love for former Tennessee Vols standout Dalton Knecht on Wednesday night after a big win against the Memphis Grizzlies. Knecht, a first round selection by Los Angeles in the 2024 NBA Draft, came off the bench to score 19 points on Wednesday in the Lakers' 128-123 […]
Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James had plenty of love for former Tennessee Vols standout Dalton Knecht on Wednesday night after a big win against the Memphis Grizzlies.
Knecht, a first round selection by Los Angeles in the 2024 NBA Draft, came off the bench to score 19 points on Wednesday in the Lakers' 128-123 win against Memphis.
The former Vol played 31 minutes in the win, connecting on all five of his three-point attempts.
According to StatMuse, Knecht is the first Lakers rookie to make five three-pointers in a game without a miss.
After the game, James, the NBA's all-time leading scorer, said the Lakers leaned on Knecht in the win — especially after Los Angeles forward Anthony Davis found himself in foul trouble.
"We leaned on Dalton Knecht, that's what we did," said James. "AD got in foul trouble and our first round pick hit a hot streak. You know, it looked like he was back at Tennessee. So we leaned on him, I just tried to sprinkle in a few plays here and there."
James was a bit humble in that post-game interview as he did more than "sprinkle in a few plays here and there". The Ohio native scored 35 points to go along with 12 rebounds and 14 assists — his third straight game with a triple-double.
Still, the Lakers probably don't win that game without contributions from Knecht.
There were plenty of Vols fans who thought it was criminal that Knecht fell all the way to No. 17 in the first round of the NBA Draft. So far this season, that's proving to be the correct take.
