Walker Kessler and Miss America Abbie Stockard Engage as He Joins Lakers

NBA center Walker Kessler, newly signed to a four‑year, $130 million contract with the Los Angeles Lakers, announced his engagement to Miss America 2025 titleholder Abbie Stockard. Kessler proposed to Stockard over the Fourth of July weekend at Lake Martin in Alabama, and the couple confirmed their plans on social media. Stockard attended Kessler’s first official Lakers practice, appearing in a white dress and sharing photos on Instagram, marking both his arrival in Los Angeles and their upcoming wedding. The pair met after Kessler’s mother sent Stockard’s photo from an Auburn basketball game; Stockard, a pediatric nursing graduate and cystic fibrosis advocate, later won the Miss America crown. Their engagement has drawn media attention as they begin a new chapter together in Los Angeles.