'Love Island' reality star dating Los Angeles Laker player

Jackie Longo

'Love Island' reality star dating Los Angeles Laker player image

Olivia "Liv" Walker may not have found love on the dating reality show "Love Island," but that's all water under the bridge now that she's landed in the arms of an NBA player. 

The Australian beauty, who had a brief fling with several men on the Peacock reality show before leaving the island alone, revealed on the spinoff show, "Love Island: Beyond the Villa" that there's a new man in her life. 

"He's such a great guy and everything's going well, but I'm not hiding it from anyone," Walker said, while hinting that the man she's seeing is a professional athlete. "I'm just building it. It's early. Putting it between us, and then I can't wait to share it with everyone else."

According to "Sports Illustrated," Walker is dating Los Angeles Lakers rookie Dalton Knecht. It's unclear when or how Walker and the 6-foot-6 former Tennessee Vols guard were introduced, however, it seems to be going well enough that they're stepping out in public together already. 

Over the weekend, Knecht seemingly confirmed the romance when he brought Walker onto the sidelines of the Vols football game, which ended in a 44-41 overtime loss to Georgia. 

@therealchlo3 Replying to @Busisiwe Ng’aba #fyp #daltonknecht #loveisland #vols #losangeleslakers @Lakers @Love Island @Love Island USA @Liv Walker ♬ NFL on FOX Theme Song - NFLonFOX

After the couple stepped out together, NBA fans took to social media to encourage the NBA star's new romance. 

"Whatever it takes to get him confident in his stroke again," one person commented on a Reddit thread dedicated to the rumored couple.

"As a Love Island fan this was so out of left field. But good s--- DK," someone else quipped. 

"A Bombshell has entered the stadium," another added. 

Knecht, 24, was drafted at the No. 17 pick in the first round of the 2024 NBA draft. 

 

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Jackie Longo

Jackie is a freelance writer and editor with The Sporting News. She has covered sports, entertainment and lifestyle for over a decade. She has written for a number of outlets including Business Insider, The Sun, Travel+Leisure and Heavy. She has a Bachelor's Degree in Journalism from West Virginia University and resides in Charlotte, NC.