Coming into the 2019-20 NBA season for the Los Angeles Lakers, there were questions about just how well LeBron James and Anthony Davis would mesh as teammates.
There were no doubts the two wanted to play together as each was pushing for this partnership, but things don’t always go as well as intended.
In this case, however, the Lakers couldn’t have asked for a better pairing. Davis and James have gelled — not only on the court — but off the court as well. In fact, one of the first things fans got to see between the two was Davis at James’ house for one of his famous ‘Taco Tuesday’ dinners.
With the Lakers playing so well James has been seen having more fun on the court than he has in years and that is the case throughout his life. Davis spoke with Joe Vardon and Jason Lloyd of The Athletic about his teammate, marveling at how positive he always is:
He’s just a big ol’ kid. You wouldn’t know it unless you’re his teammate or you’re around him a lot, but he’s a big kid. He’s high on life, loves life, lives his life to the fullest. I get to see that every day. Win, lose or draw, he’s got a smile on his face — maybe a little bit after the loss — but he’s got a smile on his face. He’s just happy to still be able to do what he’s doing at a high level and be around his team and support his son.
Davis also dispelled the notion that James is difficult to deal with as a teammate:
His son is going through a lot, he’s going through a lot, has a lot going on. (LeBron) just enjoys it all. He’s never upset; he’s never angry at anyone. … Obviously, you hear people say, “Oh, it’s tough being his teammate,” or stuff like that. And like I said, I was never his teammate. All-Star games are different. USA teams are different. But to be his teammate for the number of games that we’ve been so far, I haven’t seen any of those things. He’s always setting up team dinners. He’s about the team, and he’s always making us laugh.
One thing that has been amazing to witness with this Lakers team has been their chemistry together. It is apparent that this group of players truly enjoy being around each other and James is at the head of that. A recent game showed that even more when the entire bench mobbed James after a hot streak from the three-point line.
The duo of James and Davis is arguably the best in the entire NBA and for as good as they fit on the court, they are just as good off it and that is the main difference between them and the rest of the league.