“Try to Make a Statement”: Dalton Knecht Talks About Facing LeBron James in the All-Star Game on Sunday

Prateek Singh | 15/02/2025
Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) and guard Dalton Knecht (4) reacts to a ref’s call against the Sacramento Kings during the first half at Crypto.com Arena.

Lakers rookie Dalton Knecht was part of the Rising Stars team coached by Chris Mullin. Knecht’s team won the Rising Stars championship and is now set to face Shaquille O’Neal’s team in the All-Star Game on Sunday. LeBron James is a member of Shaq’s squad, so Knecht will be facing his Lakers teammate in the contest.

After winning the battle of the Rising Stars, Knecht talked about facing LeBron. The 23-year-old said that he is looking forward to his first All-Star game.

Knecht said that it’ll be a lot of fun for his team because they don’t have the pressure that other All-Stars have. His team consists of youngsters who have just entered the league and will now get an opportunity to play against the big guns. He said, “So, I get to play against one of my teammates. It’ll be a lot of fun just to go out there and try to make a statement.”

When asked if the matchup against ‘The OGs’ is an added motivation for him, Knecht said, “I guess, yeah. Of course, I’m a competitor, so, of course, I’m gonna try to go at them.”

Knecht had a decent first game for the Rising Stars. He scored seven points, shooting 3 of 5 from the field. His performance included a dunk that had the arena roaring.

In the final round, Knecht made a three-point shot from way out to bring his team within three points of the target score.

His All-Star team will be coached by Candace Parker and they will face Shaq’s ‘The OGs’ squad in the first round.

Knecht was recently traded to the Charlotte Hornets by the Lakers for Mark Williams. However, only two days after the trade, Williams failed the physical test, and the trade was rescinded.

LeBron is alleged to have been involved in that trade. Some fans believe that going against LeBron at the All-Star Game will be an opportunity for Knecht to settle scores. A fan wrote, “Knecht dunking on bron for tryna trade him would be beautiful.”

Even though there’s no proof to show LBJ’s involvement, fans believe that the decision wasn’t made without his involvement. One fan wrote, “Oh he’s pissed lmao he knows bron calls the shots over there gotta show bruh he was crazy for sending him off !”

Whether Knecht will be able to challenge LeBron’s team on Sunday or not, we will know in due time. For now, the Rising Star champions making it to the All-Star is worth celebrating.

Post Edited By: Satagni Sikder
Dalton Knecht LeBron James

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Prateek Singh

Prateek is a Senior NBA Writer for The SportsRush. He has over 900 published articles under his name. Prateek merged his passion for writing and his love for the sport of basketball to make a career out of it. Other than basketball, he is also an ardent follower of the UFC and soccer. Apart from the world of sports, he has followed hip-hop religiously and often writes about the origins, evolution, and the biggest stars of the music genre.

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