Dalton Knecht becomes fourth Tennessee player drafted by Lakers

Dalton Knecht becomes the fourth Tennessee basketball player drafted by the Lakers.

The NBA draft is being held Wednesday and Thursday at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.

Former Tennessee basketball player Dalton Knecht was selected by the Los Angeles Lakers in the first-round (No. 17 overall) on Wednesday.

He became the fourth Tennessee player drafted by the Lakers. Doug Atkins and Carl Widseth were drafted when the franchise played in Minneapolis, Minnesota. A.W. Davis was drafted after the Lakers relocated to California.

Atkins, a two-sport athlete for the Vols, played football and basketball.

He was a defensive lineman for the Vols and is a member of both the College Football Hall of Fame and the Pro Football Hall of Fame. His jersey No. 91 is retired. He played in the NFL for Cleveland, Chicago and New Orleans.

Atkins was drafted by the Lakers in 1953.

Widseth played for the Vols from 1952-56 and led Tennessee in scoring and rebounding in his final three years. He was drafted by Minneapolis in 1956.

Davis was drafted by the Lakers in 1965. He played at Tennessee from 1962-65 and was an All-America standout and a two-time All-SEC performer.

He later served as an assistant for the Vols before becoming a head coach at Walters State Community College in Morristown, Tennessee.

Knecht transferred to Tennessee from Northern Colorado ahead of the 2023-24 basketball campaign. In his only season with eligibility at Tennessee, he averaged 21.7 points, 4.9 rebounds and 1.8 assists per contest.

Knecht led the Vols to a Southeastern Conference regular-season championship. Tennessee also advanced to the NCAA Tournament Elite Eight for a second time in school history.

PHOTOS: A look at Dalton Knecht through the years

Doug Atkins (81). Herb Weitman-USA TODAY Sports

Tennessee football: Vols in the Pro Football Hall of Fame

Tennessee football: Vols in the Pro Football Hall of Fame

The University of Tennessee has a football program rich in tradition.

The Vols have won 13 Southeastern Conference championships and six national titles.

Tennessee’s program has produced a multitude of players who have played professional football.

The Vols have three former players who have been inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio.

Dick Butkus, Doug Atkins, Bill Hewitt latest Bears named to NFL’s All-Time Team

Linebacker Dick Butkus and defensive end Doug Atkins were the latest Bears to earn a spot on the NFL’s All-Time Team.

As the NFL continues to countdown the best players in the league’s 100-year history, there are three more Chicago Bears that made the NFL 100’s All-Time Team.

Linebacker Dick Butkus and defensive ends Doug Atkins and Bill Hewitt were the latest Bears to earn a spot on the list, both of which were revealed on Friday night.

The complete list of linebackers included: Chuck Bednarik, Bobby Bell, Derrick Brooks, Butkus, Jack Ham, Ted Hendricks, Jack Lambert, Willie Lanier, Ray Lewis, Joe Schmidt, Junior Seau and Lawrence Taylor.

The complete list of defensive ends included: Atkins, Hewitt, Deacon Jones, Gino Marchetti, Lee Roy Selmon, Bruce Smith and Reggie White.

Given the talent at linebacker over the Bears’ storied 100-year history, it’s an absolute shock that Butkus was the only linebacker named to the NFL 100 All-Time Team. You could argue that Bill George, Mike Singletary and Brian Urlacher all deserved a spot on the list given their dominance at the position in their respective decades.

Running backs Walter Payton and Gale Sayers were previously named to the All-Time Team.

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