'Everybody called me a liar' - LeBron thrilled by impressive Knecht

LeBron James heaped praise on Dalton Knecht after he tied the NBA's single-game rookie record in the Los Angeles Lakers' win over the Utah Jazz on Tuesday.

He scored nine 3-pointers, including going 6-for-6 in the third quarter, while scoring a career-high 37 points in the Lakers' 124-118 win, their sixth on the bounce.

Knecht now shares the record with Rodrigue Beaubois (2010), Yogi Ferrell (2017) and Utah's Keyonte George (2024).

The Lakers' six-game winning streak is their longest since February 2021, while they have also extended their perfect home record this season to 7-0.

James, who had 26 points and 12 assists, had previously said that he was a fan of Knecht, having watched him at Tennessee while he was in college.

"Same s*** I saw last year," said James, when asked about being ahead of the curve in praising Knecht.

Back-to-back-to-back-to-back. Call it Knecht four. pic.twitter.com/kikLkhBmox

— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) November 20, 2024

"Everybody on the internet called me a liar. So, what am I now?

"I watched him. I watched Tennessee a lot. I did not think he would fall to us. I thought it would be impossible."

Knecht was the 17th overall in the 2024 NBA draft, and James brushed off the suggestion that the Lakers 'found' him.

"They [The Lakers] didn't 'find' DK," he added. "The other 16 teams f***** it up. Did anybody watch him? You don't 'find' an SEC player of the year."