Dalton Knecht names Kevin Durant as the best NBA playerDalton Knecht (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
The Los Angeles Lakers stirred up the media by drafting Dalton Knecht as the No. 17 pick in the 2024 NBA Draft. The rookie is now set to play with one of the most storied NBA teams, the legendary LeBron James-Bronny James father-son duo. Before his NBA start, Knetcht recently opened up, sharing who he idolizes as the greatest NBA player ever.

During a brief Q&A session with SLAM Online, Knecht was asked, “Best NBA player of all time?” 

The rookie, without hesitation, mentioned “Kevin Durant.”

In the same video, Knecht shared his predictions for the upcoming NBA and WNBA seasons. He confidently stated that the Lakers would be the 2025 NBA champions and predicted that the Las Vegas Aces would take the 2024 WNBA Championship.

LeBron James’ College Prediction of Dalton Knecht Leaves Rookie Stunned

Dalton Knecht was expected to be a top-10 pick or at least a lottery selection. However, before Bronny James’ controversial draft pick, the Lakers stole the spotlight by selecting Knecht.

 

Interestingly, the Los Angeles Lakers legend LeBron James had predicted Knecht’s potential while still in college. Yet Knecht initially thought the video of James’ praise was a prank.

“I woke up and thought it was fake at first. I thought there was no way he said that,” he mentioned during his introductory press conference.

Despite not having a pre-draft workout with the Lakers, Knecht has always been confident in his abilities.

“I feel like I’ve always had that. Ever since I touched a basketball, I knew that I could do it; it was just a matter of how. My journey is not like everybody else’s, but that’s OK; everybody has a journey of their own. So just creating my path is something special, and a lot of kids will look up to it. So that’s really cool to wrap my head around,” Knecht said.

Now, Knecht is prepared to bring the same work ethic to the Lakers that he has demonstrated throughout his basketball career.

Which Are Team USA Basketball’s Debutants for the 2024 Paris Olympics? Everything You Need to Know

Team USA debutantTeam USA (Image source: Getty Images)


Team USA enters the Paris Olympics with a star-studded roster, boasting twelve players with NBA experience. This impressive lineup includes three NBA stars making their Olympic debuts: Joel Embiid, Anthony Edwards, and Tyrese Haliburton.

Joel Embiid

Joel Embiid is originally from Cameroon. But he chose to represent Team USA over his native country. The Philadelphia 76ers star, who moved to the United States at the age of 16, made this decision due to his son’s American citizenship.

Embiid was drafted by Philadelphia and played eight seasons for the 76ers. Throughout these years, he averaged 27.9 points, 11.2 rebounds, and 3.6 assists in 433 regular-season games.

Anthony Edwards

(Photo by David Berding/Getty Images)
Anthony Edwards, the Minnesota Timberwolves standout, will also make his Olympic debut in Paris. Edwards was the first overall pick out of the University of Georgia.

According to StatMuse, the Timberwolves star has averaged 22.9 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 4.1 assists over four seasons with the team.