In a sit-down with his Lakers teammate D’Angelo Russell, star big man Anthony Davis reflected on Kobe Bryant and one of the few encounters he’s had with the NBA legend. Davis pointed out one moment in particular when he forgot his jersey during a game and ticked off No. 24.
“I was in the locker room and it just hit me ‘I’m around greats,'” said Davis. “It just hit me, to the point where I forgot to put my jersey on. I’m on the bench and we’re playing Nigeria and we were up by like 70. Coach K was like, ‘AD, you’re in.’ I take the half-zip off, and I just see a white shirt, and I’m like, ‘Oh sh*t.’ So I walk back to the table and coach is like ‘what are you doing, go get in the game!’ They had to run the equipment manager to get my jersey, and Kobe is like this, and he’s laughing, but he’s hot, like, ‘What are you doing!’ In front of all these guys, I was embarrassed.”
Kobe Bryant has been a hot topic around the NBA lately after it was announced that his statue would be unveiled this week outside Crypto.com arena. So, it was no surprise to hear Lakers star Anthony Davis speak on his own experience with the legend. In the case of the encounter mentioned above, it’s clearly a moment that stuck out for Anthony Davis, who was still just a rising star at the time. After finding out Davis’ mistake, Kobe allegedly ripped him a new one and it’s what led to this iconic photo of the two “laughing” together on the sidelines. “So now, before every game, I kinda just check to make sure I got my jersey on to this day,” Davis said on the incident. “He told me how to get dressed before a game.”
Anthony Davis Could Become One Of The Best Lakers Ever
Back then, it was almost inconceivable that Anthony Davis would ever don the Purple and Gold, but that’s exactly what he wears now as a member of Kobe’s former team. While his tenure so far has been far from perfect, he’s done enough to cement himself in Lakers history, and he’s certainly done enough to make Kobe proud, who once compared him to his former championship teammate, Pau Gasol. He also said that Davis had the chance to become one of the greatest power forwards ever. Four years later and while Davis is not quite there yet, he’s certainly not too far off. Over five seasons with the Lakers, Anthony is averaging 24.7 points, 10.5 rebounds, and 2.2 blocks per game on 55% shooting. He’s also been one of the league’s top interior defenders year after year.
At this point, the only question for Davis is about his durability. With such an extensive injury history, it’s impossible to fully trust the 9x All-Star to be available for any long stretch of time. But this season, at 30 years old, Davis continues to show flashes of his greatness and he continues to give the Lakers hope of making another title run. At 27-25 this season, there’s an uphill climb to the top six but Anthony Davis is a veteran now and he will not be shaken by the tough road ahead. If he can stay healthy and deliver at the top of his game, it may just be enough to make more history with the Purple and Gold.
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