Breaking: Top Talented Highly Rated 5-Star Announced On His Personal Social Media That He Would Be Decommitting From The Tennessee Volunteers

**Lakers Select Former Tennessee Star Dalton Knecht with First Pick**

LOS ANGELES – In the first round of the 2024 NBA Draft, the Los Angeles Lakers selected former Tennessee star Dalton Knecht.

Knecht, who turned 23 in April, led the Volunteers to the Elite 8 in the Men’s NCAA Basketball Tournament. Despite falling to Purdue in their bid for the Final Four, Knecht was named a consensus 2024 first team All-American and the unanimous SEC player of the year.

The 6-foot-5 guard also received the Julius Erving Award, recognizing him as the best small forward in the country.

Lakers fans can look forward to Knecht potentially boosting the scoring support for LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and Austin Reaves in the upcoming 2024-2025 NBA season. The Thornton, Colorado native averaged over 21 points per game during the 2023-2024 season and shot nearly 40% from three-point range.

The selection of Knecht ends the speculation that the Lakers would draft LeBron James’ son, Bronny James, in the first round. However, the Lakers still hold the 55th pick in the second round, so there’s a possibility that LeBron could still achieve his dream of playing alongside his son, who previously played for USC before entering the draft.