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Lakers News: Jersey Numbers for Dalton Knecht, Bronny James Revealed

The Lakers announced the numbers that rookies Dalton Knecht and Bronny James Jr. will wear on Twitter.

Sam Garcia

David Banks-USA TODAY Sports
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The Los Angeles Lakers announced the numbers that rookies Dalton Knecht and Bronny James Jr. will wear on Twitter.

First-round draft pick Dalton Knecht, a 23-year-old shooting guard out of Tennessee, chose No. 4.

If you know how to pronounce Knecht, you already know why adopting No. 4 has led to him being dubbed "Knecht 4", a nod to the game "Connect 4". 

Knecht wore the No. 3 during his one-season stint with the Volunteers, but that number is already occupied by five-time All-NBA selection and Olympic gold medalist Anthony Davis.

Bronny James’ NBA debut number was one of the most anticipated for a rookie. Now that he has officially made NBA history before even stepping on the court as the "son" component of the first father-son pair to not only play in the league simultaneously but on the same team, fans were curious to see which number James would wear.

His father, four-time NBA champion and 20-time All-Star LeBron James, wears No. 23. The younger James could have gone with a number that relates to his father's as he did during his freshman season at USC, when he wore No. 6. The number was a homage to the one his father wore with the Miami Heat and for a period with the Lakers. 

But, the No. 6 is now retired in the NBA in honor of the late 11-time NBA champion Bill Russell. 

Instead, James selected the No. 9. He will also wear “James Jr.” as the name on the back of his jersey.

Although he has yet to explain the significance of his number choice, James' choice could be described as an upside-down version of his collegiate number. 

After the announcement, former Lakers point guard Nick Van Exel expressed excitement that James Jr. would take over his old number.

LeBron James himself shared his excitement about seeing his son in his own Lakers uniform for the first time.

The Lakers will have their summer league opener on Friday, July 6 against the Sacramento Kings, where James Jr. and Knecht will have a chance to make their debut.

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Sam Garcia

SAM GARCIA

Samantha Garcia is a student at the University of California, Los Angeles. She is majoring in Psychology and minoring in Professional Writing. She is also a sports writer for the Daily Bruin at UCLA.

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