The Los Angeles Lakers show off their 2024 draft picks, Dalton Knecht and Bronny James.

-- Tennessee Athletics/Utsports.Com

As little as three years ago, Dalton Knecht was playing for a junior college in Colorado. Today, he’s a first-round NBA Draft pick playing for one of the most illustrious organizations in sports.

The Los Angeles Lakers selected Knecht with the No. 17 pick overall in the first round of the draft two weeks ago.

The swift rise of the University of Tennessee star is enough to make anyone’s head spin. He went from Northeastern JC to Northern Colorado to the University of Tennessee to the Lakers, who signed him to a four-year, $18.4 million rookie deal.

“Ever since I touched a basketball, I knew I could do it,” Knecht said during his introductory news conference in L.A. “It was just a matter of how. My journey’s not like everyone else’s. Creating my path is something special, and a lot of kids will look up to it.”

Knecht’s one season as a Vol put him on the national radar, with the SEC Player of the Year showcasing a scoring talent few in the college game could rival. With the Lakers, he will be joining a roster that includes All-Stars LeBron James and Anthony Davis.

Knecht’s selection was overshadowed in L.A. by the Lakers picking Bronny James in the second round, with pick 55 overall. LeBron and Bronny will be the first father-son duo to play at the same time in the NBA, yet alone on the same team.

Knecht is the 10th top 20 pick in UT history and the first since Tobias Harris went No. 19 in 2011. Knecht is the highest-drafted Vol since Marcus Haislip went No. 13 in 2002, and is the 54th total NBA Draft choice from Tennessee.

Knecht was the only Vol selected in this year’s NBA Draft. Josiah-Jordan James and Santiago Vescovi signed post-draft free agent deals with the Indiana Pacers and Golden State Warriors, respectively.

Lakers feel like right fit

Many projected Knecht would be drafted even higher, but his age (23) was floated as a reason for his fall to No. 17.

Knecht shows his true colors at the NBA Draft.

“In my mind, there is no way a player like this will be available for us to pick on draft night,” Lakers vice president of basketball operations and general manager Rob Pelinka told reporters on draft night. “Across the board, just couldn’t be happier.”

Knecht viewed his lower-than-projected selection as par for the course for his basketball journey.

“Every time I touch a basketball or walk into a gym, I always feel like I got something to prove; and it doesn’t matter where I’m at, it’s always going to be there and have that chip on my shoulder for feeling like I’ve been underrated my whole life,” Knecht said after being drafted. “So, it’s going to be something that I’ll carry with me for the rest of my career.”

Knecht was assigned jersey No. 4 by the Lakers, which is a perfect play off the “Knecht 4” connection from the childhood game and the result from whenever Knecht drains a 3-pointer while being fouled.

“I knew eventually I would probably have to run into the number four,” Knecht says. “Three has been my number my whole life. AD got it, so why not do Knecht four?”

Thrilling June for Barnes

A few days after watching the UT baseball team capture the first Men’s College World Series title in school history in Omaha, Nebraska, UT basketball coach Rick Barnes was in attendance at Barclays Center in New York with Knecht when he got drafted.

Knecht asked Barnes to be with him on his special night, and Barnes was more than happy to oblige. It reiterated to Barnes how much his one season at UT impacted Knecht’s life.

“If he’s told me once, he’s told me a thousand times, he said, ‘I wish I could go back and do it all over and be at Tennessee four years,’” Barnes says. “But the mark he made in a year is pretty remarkable. And what he did for us is, and the fact, honestly, it touched me that he said, ‘Coach, it would mean a lot to me if you come’ and I said, ‘I’ll be there.’”

In Los Angeles, Knecht will be playing for a first-year head coach in JJ Redick. The former Duke star left the broadcasting booth to lead the Lakers. Barnes has some history with Redick, and believes Knecht and Redick share a similar work ethic.

“I think he’s gonna love that about Dalton because Dalton is going to be in the gym as much as JJ was. And I think JJ will pick up on that really quick,” Barnes says. “And the fact is Dalton has watched tape of him. I think JJ will talk to him about even getting more scrappy and what he’s going to have to do to become even a better player in all areas of the game.”

Knecht will make his professional debut for the Lakers during summer league games in Sacramento and Las Vegas. Although he won’t be on the court with LeBron during that stretch, he’s eager to learn as much as possible from the 20-time All-Star and four-time NBA champion.

“It’s been exciting meeting him in person and through the phone,” Knecht says. “Been a fun journey because like I said earlier, my journey has been different. Coming here to a historic franchise, it’s going to be fun. Ready to get to work.”