There is simply no denying the impact that Anthony Davis had on the Los Angeles Lakers franchise. Upon being traded to the Lakers, Davis and LeBron James teamed up to lead the franchise to an NBA Championship, plus another trip to the Western Conference Finals, among many other memorable moments.
But it wasn’t just on the court as LeBron and Davis grew extremely close off of it as well. Both have referred to the other as a brother and their friendship is something that will last for the rest of their lives. The Lakers trading Davis to the Dallas Mavericks was not something the team planned, but was simply a matter of a deal they couldn’t refuse.
While he wasn’t able to suit up due to injury, Davis did return to the Crypto.com Arena for the first time on Tuesday as the Lakers defeated the Mavericks and of course, the organization played a deserved tribute video for him. And LeBron watched every second of it, giving his former teammate nothing but praise after the game
“I definitely saw it. I watched it from start to finish,” LeBron said of the Davis tribute video. “We know what AD was to this franchise and what he did for this franchise from the moment we got him to hoisting the Larry O’Brien trophy to All-Star nods to winning the In-Season Tournament in the first inaugural In-Season Tournament and many, many dominant nights. Not only in this building but also on the road as well. Obviously our friendship goes without saying. He’s one of my best friends and it was great to see him get that recognition and get that moment.”
Davis is more than deserving of all the recognition and praise he received and will one day see his jersey hanging in the rafters next to the rest of the Lakers greats as well. He’s in that Lakers pantheon of all-time bigs next to the likes of Shaquille O’Neal, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Wilt Chamberlain, George Mikan and Pau Gasol.
LeBron understands what Davis meant to this franchise and wants to make sure he gets everything he deserves, even though his time with the Lakers is now over. That tribute video was just a small glimpse into everything Davis gave to the Lakers and his contributions will go down in history.
Lakers coach JJ Redick believes LeBron James is playing at All-NBA Defense level
One area of concern upon the Lakers trading away Anthony Davis was their defense as he was the anchor on that end of the court. But the Lakers have continued to thrive there and one big reason has been the play of LeBron James himself.
Head coach JJ Redick spoke about this following the Lakers’ victory over the Mavericks, believing that LeBron has been playing at an All-NBA Defense level with James adding that he takes it as a matter of individual pride to get stops.
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