The Los Angeles Lakers have themselves a center with impeccable vision, and I'm not talking about his eyesight. I don't know if they knew it when they traded for Walker Kessler, but he's not just bringing a 7-foot frame with him.
He'll give them close to double-digits in points and rebounds along with a couple of blocks a night, but what can't be calculated on a stat sheet is the vision I mentioned. He put it on display over the Fourth of July weekend.
Walker Kessler is now engaged. He popped the question to former Auburn cheerleader and Miss America 2025 girlfriend Abbie Stockard. There it is, there's the impeccable vision.
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Not for proposing to a former Miss America, but for the timing of the proposal. He could have done so at any time, and he chose the Fourth of July weekend to do so. It's a smart move.
Look, it's not easy to keep track of all the dates of significance in a relationship, especially after the years go by. Kessler isn’t going to have a hard time remembering when he and Stockard got engaged at all.
That's an easy one. He set it up with a point of reference. It was the weekend of America's 250th birthday and that is going to be as reflexive of a response as his birthday.
Without hesitation, he's going to be able to fire that off as long as these two are married. There's not going to be this underlying "why can't he even remember when he asked me to marry him" tension in this marriage.
Kessler now has to assist in setting up the wedding, and he has to hope that he can convince his better half to lock that date down around another easy-to-remember event of significance.
Congratulations to Kessler and Stockard on their engagement. And congratulations to the Lakers.
With this kind of vision, he's going to be worth every bit of his reported new $130 million deal, even if he is coming off of a shoulder injury that limited him to only five games last season.