Iconic rapper Snoop Dogg gave Los Angeles Lakers rookie Dalton Knecht his stamp of approval Friday by bestowing a nickname upon him.

During an appearance on ESPN’s First Take, Snoop referred to Knecht as “Westside Knecht,” before saying, “The Lakers is on a mission, we got everything we need, everybody’s back, seems like everybody’s healthy. I like the pick, I like Knecht and I like little Bronny [James].”

Knecht, who was the No. 17 overall pick in the 2024 NBA draft out of Tennessee, went off for 35 points in the Lakers’ 128-122 win over the Phoenix Suns on Thursday.

The 23-year-old Knecht tied with teammate Anthony Davis as the leading scorer in Thursday’s contest, making 10 of his 18 shots from the field, including going 8-of-13 from beyond the arc.

That was by far Knecht’s best performance of the preseason, topping his previous high of 19 points delivered in a loss to the Golden State Warriors on Tuesday.

After beginning his Division I collegiate career at Northern Colorado, Knecht transferred to Tennessee and played one season for the Volunteers, averaging 21.7 points per game, which earned him SEC Player of the Year and consensus first-team All-American honors.

Knecht was widely expected to be a lottery pick in the 2024 NBA draft, but he fell outside the lottery, perhaps due largely to the fact that he was among the oldest players available.

That didn’t stop the Lakers from taking him, as they added Knecht to a talented core led by LeBron James and Davis.

After reaching the Western Conference Finals in 2023, the Lakers had a better regular season in 2023-24, going 47-35. However, they were eliminated in the first round of the postseason by the Denver Nuggets.

The Lakers were unable to add a third star during the offseason to play alongside James and Davis, and they made few additions to the roster overall with Knecht being the most notable one.

While Snoop is happy with the team, he did express a desire for the Lakers to make a trade for a center if possible in order to take some pressure off of AD.

As of now, it appears likely Davis will begin the 2024-25 season as L.A.’s starting center with Rui Hachimura at power forward. Christian Wood and Jarred Vanderbilt are the primary backups, but both are currently dealing with injuries.

If the Lakers can add some frontcourt depth and Knecht’s preseason play carries over to the regular season, they may have a chance to be contenders in the stacked Western Conference once again.

The Lakers will play their final preseason game Friday against the Warriors before opening regular-season action with a home game against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Tuesday.