Dalton Knecht gave an awesome tribute to Tennessee athletics after being drafted by the Los Angeles Lakers

It was a long wait on draft night for former Tennessee Vols superstar Dalton Knecht.  A lot longer than many believed would happen .  But in the end, everything likely worked out for the best for Knecht, as he was selected by the Los Angeles Lakers with the 17th overall pick of the NBA Draft on Wednesday night.

When Knecht finally made his way up to the stage, folks could start to see some orange peeking out from inside his jacket.  And then, after shaking hands with NBA Commissioner Adam Silver, Knecht made his way down to be interviewed.

"I've got something on the interior of the suit," Knecht said.  "Got all of my accolades on the list, and I've got to support Vol nation.  Shoutout to the baseball team for winning.  I'm excited."

Indeed, amid the most important moment of his basketball life, Knecht had time to show off his love for the University of Tennessee and throw out some props to the Vols baseball team for winning the national championship on Monday.  Out of all the players selected, Knecht far and away was the only one to show that kind of public display for their college teams.

Pretty remarkable given that Knecht played his one season on Rocky Top and had that deep of a love for the university.  However, the feeling is certainly mutual, as Vol fans were thrilled watching the first-team All-American and SEC Player of the Year light up the Thompson-Boling Arena scoreboard last season.

Now, many Tennessee fans will surely be tuning into Laker games late at night on the West Coast, hoping to see Knecht take the next step and try to help the Lakers return to the top of the NBA mountain.

Related: Tennessee Vols star Dalton Knecht inadvertently involved in awkward moment during first night of 2024 NBA Draft