Former Tennessee Vol Dalton Knecht had a pair of unforgettable moments in the Lakers’ comeback win over the Phoenix Suns on Friday night.
Both moments had to do with his basketball idol growing up, Kevin Durant.
During an offensive play midway through the second quarter, Knecht received the quick pass on the perimeter as L.A. was setting up its offense. Knecht, with Durant guarding him and a hand in his face, drilled a three-pointer over the 14x All-Star.
Knecht was vocal about his admiration for Durant, a former player for Rick Barnes, during his one year on Rocky Top.
After Knecht dropped 36 points in a road effort against Georgia, Durant called Knecht “A DOG” in the comment section of Tennessee Basketball’s Instagram account.
Barnes was asked after the Georgia game if he had ever seen a road streak like the one Knecht was on, to which the Vols’ coach had a great answer.
“Well, I did have Kevin Durant,” Barnes said with a grin. “So I saw it a bunch.”
During a July interview with SLAM Online, Knecht called Durant the best NBA player of all time with no hesitation. (He also called Lady Vols legend Candace Parker the greatest WNBA player of all time during the interview)
Fast forward to Friday night and Phoenix and the rookie from Tennessee drilled a three-pointer right in Durant’s face in just his second career NBA game.
Knecht called Durant the best NBA player of all time in July.
Durant called Knecht “A DOG” after Vols beat Georgia behind 36 points from DK.
Fast forward to Friday and Knecht drills a three over KD – his basketball idol. Wow. https://t.co/RoSO9YeGnr
— Ric Butler (@Ric_Butler) October 26, 2024
More from RTI: Iconic Basketball Brand Signs VFL Dalton Knecht After Rookie NBA Debut
Hit a 30 footer over your childhood favorite player ✅@DaltonKnecht3 pic.twitter.com/CY89H00osl
— WildasaMink (@wildasamink_) October 26, 2024
Knecht isn’t just another rookie for Durant as the NBA superstar was seemingly following the Tennessee basketball season and his former head coach Rick Barnes. That’s not all too surprising, either, considering LeBron James was also following and gave Knecht a shoutout during the Vols’ March Madness run earlier this year.
The former Vol held his head high on Friday night as he walked out of the Suns’ arena with a signed Kevin Durant jersey – which will likely be heading to a frame on a wall in the immediate future.
Dalton Knecht got the win against his idol, Kevin Durant, and then walked out of the arena with KD’s autographed jersey pic.twitter.com/iHE3i9S43L
— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) October 26, 2024
The Lakers ended up outscoring the Suns by 16 points in the second half to capture the 123-116 victory and move to 2-0. Knecht finished the game with eight points on 2-5 shooting in 13 minutes on the court.
Los Angeles played back-to-back games this weekend and found a win over Sacramento on Saturday night in Los Angeles, 131-127. Knecht had a career/season-high 10 points in the Lakers win with a pair of three-pointers.
