Air Knecht has signed on the dotted line.
Jordan Brand announced the addition of four rookie NBA athletes to the brand roster on Friday night with VFL Dalton Knecht landing one of the spots.
Alongside rookies Jared McCain, Stephon Castle, and Ja’Kobe Walter, VFL Dalton Knecht will be one of the Jordan Brand athletes moving forward.
The terms of the deals have not been revealed yet.
Lakers rookie Dalton Knecht has signed an endorsement deal with Jordan Brand ✍️ pic.twitter.com/NOUJhsqvjb
— Nice Kicks (@nicekicks) October 26, 2024
More from RTI: Charles Barkley Rips NBA General Managers For Letting Dalton Knecht Fall In Draft
According to Footwear News, Knecht has actually been repping the Jordan Brand during the preseason with the Air Jordan 39 and the Luka 2 sneakers.
The 6-foot-6 guard was drafted to the NBA with the 17th overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft after a monster senior season at Tennessee. Knecht helped lead Tennessee to the Elite Eight and ended his lone year on Rocky Top as one of the most prolific offensive players in Tennessee basketball history.
Knecht had his NBA regular season debut on Tuesday night as the Lakers opened their season with a 110-103 win over Minnesota. Knecht knocked down his first two buckets in a 2-4 shooting night in 16 minutes on the floor and ended the game with five points.
The former Vol saw a few fewer minutes during Friday’s win over Phoenix but hit two three-pointers and a pair of free throws for a new NBA regular-season career high at eight points.
Don’t let that number fool you, though. Lakers head coach JJ Redick is high on Knecht and is likely to continue working him into the fold after the rookie guard proved that he could score in bunches during the preseason.
Knecht averaged 18.0 points, 4.2 rebounds, 2.0 assists, and 1.4 steals per game during five preseason games with Los Angeles this fall. The former Vol went viral on social media during a 35-point preseason finale where Knecht scored 20 straight points for the Lakers across the end of the fourth quarter and overtime to lead L.A. to the comeback win.
VFL Dalton Knecht (6.5 PPG) and the L.A. Lakers (2-0) will return to action on Sunday evening at 7:00 p.m. ET in a matchup against VFL Grant Williams and the Charlotte Hornets.
It’s only a matter of time before we see Air Knecht take off in the NBA:
