Quiet but confident.
Humble with swagger.
Don’t let Dalton Knecht’s sometimes soft-spoken demeanor fool you. The former Tennessee Vol is one of the hardest-working players in any gym while using swagger and poise in tandem to take advantage of the court.
While he didn’t know that he would be heading to sunny Los Angeles coming out of the NBA Draft, Knecht’s all-black suit with hidden Tennessee lining and graphics was the perfect way to introduce him to the Hollywood crowd.
Cool and calm on the outside, swagger and energy on the inside.
Here’s a look at Dalton Knecht’s viral suit jacket from photos courtesy of Andrew Ferguson with Tennessee Athletics:
More from RTI: ‘A+’: Experts Rave Over Dalton Knecht’s Landing Spot with Lebron’s Lakers
After NBA Commissioner Adam Silver called Knecht’s name on Wednesday, the former Vol hugged his mother Carrie, his father Corey, Tennessee head coach Rick Barnes, and Vols assistant coach Rod Clark.
But as he walked to the stage, though, Kendrick Lamar’s “Not Like Us” played from the speakers.
Fitting. Knecht isn’t like anyone else.
Knecht’s journey to the first round of the NBA Draft was different than the rest. Knecht began his career at Northeastern Junior College before moving to Northern Colorado. It wasn’t until Knecht’s fifth and final collegiate year that he made the jump up to Power Five basketball to play for Rick Barnes’s Tennessee Volunteers.
In just one season at Tennessee, Knecht would become a consensus First-Team All-American and the SEC Player of the Year.
Knecht is now taking his talents back out west to California to match up with Lebron James, Anthony Davis, and newly appointed head coach JJ Redick. Experts are raving about Knecht’s pick on Thursday morning as Fox Sports, CBS Sports, Bleacher Report, and Yahoo! Sports all gave the Lakers an A+ for taking Knecht at No. 17.
The Lakers are getting a good one with Knecht, but the former Vol certainly gave one last shoutout back to Knoxville on draft night.
“It doesn’t matter where I’m at. It’s always going to be there, having that chip on my shoulder, feeling like I’ve been underrated for my whole life. It’s something I’m going to carry with me the rest of my career,” Knecht said on draft night.
DK to LA. pic.twitter.com/gDL4U6b8Q6
— Tennessee Basketball (@Vol_Hoops) June 27, 2024
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