Dalton Knecht

Dalton Douglas Knecht (born April 19, 2001) is an American professional basketball player for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Northeastern JC Plainsmen, the Northern Colorado Bears, and the Tennessee Volunteers.

Early life and high school career
Knecht was born in Fargo, North Dakota and grew up in Thornton, Colorado, attending Prairie View High School. He entered his sophomore year at 5ft 8in and grew to 6ft 1in by his junior year. Knecht averaged 21 points and 6.5 rebounds per game as a senior.

College career
Knecht began his college basketball career at Northeastern Junior College. He grew another two inches between his senior high school season and his first season with the Plainsmen. Knecht averaged 13.3 points, 2.9 rebounds and 1.1 assists per game as a freshman. He averaged 23.9 points, 7.5 rebounds and two assists per game as a sophomore. Knecht grew another three inches during his time playing at Northeastern Junior College to bring his height to 6ft 6in. He committed to transfer to Northern Colorado to continue his college career.

Knecht averaged 8.9 points and 3.6 rebounds per game in his first season with the Northern Colorado Bears. As a senior, he led the Big Sky Conference with 20.2 points per game and averaged 7.2 rebounds per game. After the season, Knecht decided to utilize the extra year of eligibility granted to college athletes who played in the 2020–21 season due to the COVID-19 pandemic and entered the NCAA transfer portal.

Knecht transferred to Tennessee for the 2023–24 season. He was named the Southeastern Conference (SEC) Player of the Week for the first week of the season after scoring 17 points in the Volunteers' season-opening win over Tennessee Tech and 24 points with five rebounds in a 80–70 road victory over Wisconsin on November 10, 2023. Knecht scored a then-career-high 37 points in a 100–92 loss to North Carolina on November 29, 2023. He was named the SEC Player of the Week a second time on January 15, 2024, after scoring 28 points in a 77–72 loss to Mississippi State and 36 points in an 85–79 win over Georgia. Knecht set a then career high with 39 points in a 85–66 win over Florida on January 16, 2024. On February 29, 2024, Knecht tied his then-career high with 39 points against the 11th-ranked Auburn in a 92–84 win. On March 9, 2024, Knecht set a new career high on senior night with 40 points in an 85–81 loss to 15th-ranked Kentucky.

Knecht was named SEC Player of the Year by both the league's coaches and the Associated Press (AP). He was also named SEC Newcomer of the Year by the AP.

Los Angeles Lakers (2024–present)
Knecht was selected with the 17th overall pick by the Los Angeles Lakers in the 2024 NBA draft and he signed with them on July 3, 2024.