Лос-Анжелес Лэйкерсийн төвийн тоглогч Уолкер Кесслер Алабама мужийн Мартин нуурын эрэг дээр найз бүсгүй Эбби Стоккардтай сүй тавьснаа зарлалаа.
Лос-Анжелес Лэйкерс долоодугаар сарын 1-нд Юта Жазз багаас 218 см өндөр Уолкер Кесслерийг эгнээндээ нэгтгэсэн юм. Тус баг түүнийг авахын тулд 2031 болон 2033 оны драфтын эхний тойргийн эрх, 2028 болон 2030 оны драфтын эрх солилцооны гэрээг хийжээ. Кесслер багтайгаа дөрвөн жилийн 130 сая долларын гэрээ байгуулсан бөгөөд тэрээр Лука Дончич, Остин Ривз нарын бүрэлдэхүүнтэй Лэйкерсийн хамгаалалтыг хүчирхэгжүүлэх үүрэгтэй.
Уолкер Кесслерийн ээж Андреа хоёр жилийн өмнө Обурны их сургуулийн сагсан бөмбөгийн тоглолтын үеэр Эбби Стоккардын зургийг авч хүүдээ илгээснээр тэдний харилцаа эхэлсэн түүхтэй. Обурны бүжгийн багт бүжиглэж, хүүхдийн сувилахуйн мэргэжлээр суралцаж байсан Стоккард өмнө нь Мисс Америк тэмцээнд түрүүлж байсан билээ. Тэдний харилцаа хувь тавилангийн дагуу өрнөсөн гэдгээ Стоккард олон нийтийн сүлжээгээр дамжуулан илэрхийлсэн байна.
Өдгөө 24 настай Кесслер Юта Жазз багт 201 тоглолтод оролцохдоо дунджаар 9.5 points, 9.3 rebounds болон 2.4 block гүйцэтгэсэн үзүүлэлттэй. Өнгөрсөн улиралд тэрээр мөрний гэмтлийн улмаас ердөө таван тоглолтод оролцсон юм.
Дэлгэрэнгүй эх сурвалжийг харах
Эх сурвалжийг нээх ↓
Once again, Walker Kessler sat hunched forward, ears and eyes intently locked onto the person whose words would change his life.
This wasn’t his bewildering 2022 NBA draft day experience captured on video that began with him hearing commissioner Adam Silver announce he had been chosen by the Memphis Grizzlies only to learn moments later that he had been traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves, only to learn two weeks after that he’d been dealt to the Utah Jazz.
No, this time it was about the love of his life, Abbie Stockard. Glued to a screen, Kessler reacted to the words, “Your new Miss America is … Alabama!” as if he’d been electrocuted. He jumped from his chair and put his hands over his mouth, speechless as Stockard was crowned.
Nineteen months later, Kessler — now the Lakers center — found his voice while on a Fourth of July outing at Lake Martin, Ala., and asked Stockard to marry him. She said yes.
The Lakers obtained the 7-foot-2 Kessler from the Jazz on July 1 in exchange for 2031 and 2033 first-round picks and 2028 and 2030 pick swaps, bringing to L.A. a strong defensive presence to accompany offensive-first star guards Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves.
Read more: Lakers get their new center. How Walker Kessler, three free agents fit with Luka Doncic
Kessler, 24, agreed to a four-year, $130 million contract, not a bad nest egg for newlyweds. The Instagram story of the two sharing their engagement was captioned: “The future Kessler’s. Let’s get y’all married!!!”
Kessler’s mother, Andrea, played matchmaker two years ago, taking a photo of Stockard during an Auburn basketball game and sending it to her son. He messaged her on Instagram.
Stockard was on the dance team at Auburn, where she studied pediatric nursing. Now she is a former Miss America engaged to the Lakers’ newest star.
“I get to marry Walker Kessler — my best friend!,” she wrote on social media. “Our story is truly one that only the Lord could have written. So many things I once thought were coincidences were really His perfect plan unfolding, and our story is greater than anything I could have imagined.
“There’s no one else I’d rather spend the rest of my life with, doing life together and cheering each other on!”
In 201 games with the Jazz, Kessler averaged 9.5 points, 9.3 rebounds and 2.4 blocks across 25.3 minutes. He played only five games last season while recovering from a shoulder injury.
This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
