For years on end, fans and trolls on the internet have called out LeBron James for ‘lying’ about his accurate predictions. However, on Tuesday night, James was finally vindicated after another breakout performance by Los Angeles Lakers rookie Dalton Knecht in their win over the Utah Jazz.
Knecht led the Lakers in scoring with a major 37-point outburst, which saw him drain 21 points in the third quarter alone. James had high praise for his rookie after the game but first took some time to respond to trolls who have often criticized him for his ‘predictions.’
I don’t know. The same sh*t I said last year. Everybody on the internet calls me a liar all the time. They say I lie about every-f**king-thing. What am I now? I’ve been said it. I watched Tennessee a lot. I did not think he was going to fall to us. I have no idea how that happened but very grateful and very happy that he’s here.
LeBron James told reporters
LeBron on what he saw in Dalton Knecht last season when he praised him while he was at Tennessee: “I don’t know. The same shit I said last year. Everybody on the internet calls me a liar all the time. They say I lie about every-fucking-thing. So what am I now? I’ve been said it.” pic.twitter.com/bPBU1VJGiB
— Jovan Buha (@jovanbuha) November 20, 2024
James brought up his support for Knecht being a top pick in the 2024 draft months before he would eventually fall to the Lakers. Many had projected the 23-year-old rookie to go top 10 in the draft, including James himself.
However, Knecht fell on many draft boards due to his older age as a rookie. When asked about the Lakers drafting Knecht with the 17th pick, James gave a candid answer.
They (Lakers) didn’t find DK. The other 16 teams f*cked it up. Did anybody watch him? What the f*ck? Sh*t. (Lakers) just didn’t f*ck it up.
LeBron James said of the team’s decision to draft Dalton Knecht
LeBron James on the Lakers’ front office finding Dalton Knecht with the No. 17 pick: “They didn’t find DK. The other 16 teams fucked it up. Did anybody watch him? What the fuck? Shit. They just didn’t fuck it up.” pic.twitter.com/9C5658kSWB
— Jovan Buha (@jovanbuha) November 20, 2024
The Lakers franchise star was all praise for his rookie after his incredible ‘Jordan-esque’ sharpshooting display. Knecht drained 9 three-pointers at 75% shooting en route to the Lakers’ six-point victory at the Crypto.com Arena.
LeBron James credits ‘egoless’ star for Lakers success
The LA Lakers are on an absolute roll this season. They sit near the top of the Western Conference as the third seed and have won their last six games with a 10-4 overall record.
While much of their success has been due to the superlative performances of their superstars LeBron James and Anthony Davis, James believes that an underrated star for their success is the ‘egoless’ D’Angelo Russell.
Earlier this month, Russell revealed his willingness to sacrifice his starting role in exchange for team success. Since then, James came out with high praise for Russell and Cam Reddish for their willingness to adjust to the team’s requirements.
What allowed it to work was the sacrifices that D’Lo and Cam have continued to make, and obviously, the biggest sacrifice is D’Lo going to the bench.
LeBron James stated
Russell was benched by head coach JJ Redick after the Lakers had suffered a series of disappointing losses early in the season. Since then, the team’s chemistry has started to pop, with the added playing time for the breakout rookie sensation Dalton Knecht.
