The upcoming NBA All-Star weekend will include a mini tournament between the NBA’s Rising Stars team and a team of “OGs” led by Shaquille O’Neal and featuring LeBron James. But for one Lakers player, it’s an opportunity to put the NBA scoring king on notice.
Over a week ago the Lakers attempted to trade rookie Dalton Knecht to the Charlotte Hornets for Mark Williams. However, the deal fell through due to a reported failed physical by Williams, leaving Knecht seemingly disgruntled over his situation with the Lakers.
So when he got a chance to talk to the media at the Rising Stars competition, Knecht seemed to love the idea of going up against LeBron. Speaking to reporters, his eyes practically lit up at the notion of getting to play against the four-time NBA champion and believes it will be a good chance to “try to make a statement.”
“I might play against LeBron, right?” he asked. “Is that true? Yeah. So I get to go against one of my teammates. So it will be a lot of fun to go out there and try to make a statement.”
Dalton: “I might play against LeBron right? Is that true? It’ll be a lot of fun just to go out there and try to make a statement” 👀 pic.twitter.com/zFjo177A7V
— ²³𝙻𝚎𝙱𝚛𝚘𝚗𝚌𝚑𝚒𝚝𝚒𝚜🏀☄️🌎💞 (@BronGotGame) February 15, 2025
Lakers fans are pretty split on whether this statement is a good thing or a bad thing. Some feel that Knecht is just putting on airs while expressing frustration at not being traded while others think this mentality will motivate him to play better:
“Make a statement in a defenseless All-Star game? Dude is a cornball who still in his feelings about almost being traded.”
“tbh this isn’t that bad of a statement, if he keeps this fire in him we might need it going into the szn, just a competitive player at the end of the day.”
“Lmao i’ve always said it must be a gift and curse being Lebron because he gets all the credit but he damn sure gets all the blame too.”
“That’s the attitude, Embrace the challenge and make a statement on the court.”
“get this cornball off my team lol.”
Knecht has started 12 of 49 games this season and is averaging 9.4 points, 3.0 rebounds and one assist per game.
Related: Lakers Rookie Dalton Knecht Put On A Show Last Night