The person ESPN told viewers was Dalton Knecht sure looked different than the real thing
It wasn’t the Tennesse guard but France’s Tidjane Salaün, who was drafted No. 6 overall by the Charlotte Hornets in the 2024 NBA Draft on Wednesday.
The ESPN broadcasting crew misidentified Salaün after they tried to showcase Knecht on the broadcast before the Hornets’ pick.
The Lakers eventually drafted Knecht at the No. 17 spot.
Likely, every pundit and fan titled their head at this, as the two don’t resemble one another in the slightest.
The mistake caused an uproar on social media platforms, as many users believed that confusing the two was “impressive” for how bad it was.
One X user posted, “That ain’t the Dalton Knecht I know💀💀.”
Another sarcastically added, “🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 Draft started off perfectly! OMG!!!! dalton knecht.”
The Atlanta Hawks took Zaccharie Risacher with the No. 1 overall pick before the rest of the draft ensued.
Salaün’s 6-foot-9 stature helped him average nine points, 3.9 rebounds and 1.1 steals while competing for the Cholet Basket club in the French LNB Pro A league.
It was the Hornets’ first selection under new ownership and head coach Charles Lee.
Knecht was nothing short of impressive in his final year at Tennessee.
He helped his team have one of the best seasons in program history, a 27-9 record, before losing to Purdue in the Elite Eight.
Knecht averaged 21.7 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 1.8 assists per game.
The two will likely look back on this moment in a few years as a funny memory – but ESPN was quick to feel the burn of their mistake.
