Lakers rookie Dalton Knecht snubs LeBron James & Lakers as greatest player & best team of all time

To be selected by the Lakers is an accomplishment of its own for any aspiring athlete hoping to reach the professional league, such is the case for Dalton Knecht. He was selected 17th overall by LA after a promising season at Tennessee. However, the rookie had some interesting answers during an interview with Slam regarding the greatest player and the best team of all time.

In the interview, the Lakers rookie named Kevin Durant as his choice for the greatest player of all time. Aside from picking a star that isn't wearing the purple and gold, he named the 2023 NBA Champions Denver Nuggets as the best team of all time.

The video clip was shared on X by user Vito Corleonie (@VCorleonie) and was reshared by ClutchPoints.

When it comes to the discussion on the elite players in NBA history, Durant certainly has a strong case to make given the body of work he has accomplished over the years. However, it should be interesting to see how Lakers fans will find this answer as he didn't name a star that played for their franchise, such as LeBron James.

The same can be said of his decision to pick the team that sent LA home in back-to-back years in the NBA Playoffs as his all-time unit.

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Dalton Knecht reacted to Lakers star LeBron James shoutout

Playing for the Lakers during one's rookie year is one thing but to do it alongside an NBA legend like LeBron James just makes the experience all the more exciting. Not many rookies can say that they had the privilege to play next to one of the greats in basketball history and Dalton Knecht now finds himself in rare company.

He is also familiar with the time LeBron James took notice of his impressive 37-point performance in a loss against the Purdue Boilermakers in the NCAA Tournament Elite Eight game, as per Los Angeles Times' Dan Woike.

"I woke up and rolled out of bed and I thought it was fake," Knecht said, "because tons of people were texting me. I was just like, 'There's no way.' And when I watched that video, it just brought a smile to my face."

LA Lakers rookies Dalton Knecht and Bronny James (IMAGN)

Sometimes all a young basketball player needs to hear is some praise from one of their basketball idols. Judging from Knecht's reaction, it was more than enough to get him rolling out of bed with a different sense of energy.

The Lakers enter the upcoming 2024-25 season with a lot of pressure and attention under the microscope of the media and the fans. The bright lights of LA have proven to be too much for some players to handle. It will be the perfect opportunity for Dalton Knecht and Bronny James to show that they belong in the big league.