CASTROL RISING STARS POSTGAME

February 14, 2025

Dalton Knecht

Team C

Press Conference

DALTON KNECHT: I thought it was a lot of fun going out with those guys. I've played against almost every single one of them. Just went out there and put on a show and now we'll get ready for Sunday.

Q. Do you think this format is going to increase the competition on Sunday night?

DALTON KNECHT: It might. We're going to try for sure.

Q. Do you think it'll be competitive?

DALTON KNECHT: Yeah, we're going to try to go win it.

Q. Today is the anniversary of Kobe's last All-Star Game. What does it mean to represent the Lakers at your first All-Star?

DALTON KNECHT: Yeah, especially being a part of the Laker franchise, and obviously anything to do with Kobe is always special. It's a lot of fun.

Q. You've had a crazy couple weeks. How does it feel to be in this experience and also what is it like to know you're going to play in your first All-Star Game?

DALTON KNECHT: Yeah, about to play my first All-Star Game, that's crazy, as a rookie. It's going to be a lot of fun. We are going to try to go out there and put on a show and try to make it competitive for sure. We're going to try to get that win.

Q. What do you make of this new format that they've been trying out for the last few years? They've had the team captains, the traditional thing, and now the Rising Stars playing on Sunday. What do you think of it?

DALTON KNECHT: It might be a lot of fun, the young guys, or us, we're going to try to go out there and go against those guys. I'm not sure about -- I'm playing against Bron, so I get to go against one of my teammates. So, it'll be a lot of fun to go out there and try to make a statement.

Q. Any extra motivation playing against the OGs?

DALTON KNECHT: I guess, yeah, of course. I'm a competitor, so of course I'm going to go out at them.

Q. What's it like going against G League guys? Did you know any of them? How different was it to see a different group of guys on the opposite side?

DALTON KNECHT: Yeah, I know quite a bit of them. So, it was good to go out there and play against those guys. They came out and beat the other team. I was watching in the locker room; that's crazy. I can't remember who hit the shot, but it was a lot of fun just to go out there and compete.

Q. From the outside it looked a little bit like defense was more intense from the G League guys. Would you say so, as well, that they were kind of more into it compared to the first one?

DALTON KNECHT: For sure. I think they were lucky because they got to play pretty much back-to-back. We had to sit in the locker room for quite a bit, but they came out with a lot, so they were trying to win. They came out with a lot of energy. They were crashing the boards hard, playing defense. So, they were going out trying to win.

Q. So far what's been the highlight of your All-Star experience?

DALTON KNECHT: Playing in the game for sure. Growing up watching, I remember Kyrie and Brandon Knight, and then Tim Hardaway Jr. versus Dion [Waiters], and now I'm a part of this, so it's kind of fun.