Kevin Durant Sends Strong Message to Bronny James, Dalton Knecht

Kevin Durant turned into a fan last week when he spoke about the history that LeBron James will make with his eldest son, Bronny James, this season.

"That would be cool," Durant said, per Duane Rankin of AZ Central on X. "I remember Bronny running around. He was in elementary school, being around LeBron and his family. ... To see it come full circle to this moment is pretty cool. To see him out on the floor with James Jr. on his back with his dad is crazy to see."

Before Durant faced Bronny James for the second time, Durant encouraged him and the Lakers' other young players to stay on track and gave them strong advice.

"Just playing hard, trying to establish themselves in the league," Durant said of Bronny James and the Lakers' other rookie, Dalton Knecht. "Rookies in the preseason, you're just trying to get a feel for the game and get your feet wet."

"So, I can see each game those two guys, not just those two, the younger players in your team that made it Jalen Hood-Schifino, Max Christie and Maxwell Lewis and all those guys, you get a little bit more comfortable each and every game as you understand your role, what coach wants from you and kind of lean into your routine that you work on every single day."

On the floor, Durant gave Bronny James a hard time. In one sequence in the fourth quarter, Durant even met Bronny James at the rim.

Fortunately for Bronny James, Durant was called for a foul on his block attempt.

Bronny James had a better shooting night this time than his first four games when he shot 2-of-16.

Against Durant and the Suns, Bronny James scored four points on 2-of-4 shooting with two rebounds.

It was Knecht who stole the limelight with a 35-point explosion.

The 22-year-old Knecht, more seasoned than Bronny James, sent the game into overtime with a 3-pointer in the final six seconds. The 17th overall pick clustered 25 points in the fourth quarter and extra time to lead the Lakers to the victory with LeBron James sitting out.

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