Rich Paul has become one of the most powerful people in NBA circles. Klutch Sports have quite a few big clients, including LeBron James, and they have made a lot of waves in recent years. One of those clients is none other than LeBron James’ co-star, Anthony Davis.
Anthony Davis has been through a tumultuous few seasons since winning the championship with the Los Angeles Lakers in 2020. The big man has been forced to contend with a glut of injuries, causing him to miss serious time. This led to some criticism from the media, with Charles Barkley even mocking him with a nickname.
Davis has turned things around so far this season, he is now averaging over 27 points and 12 rebounds per game. His form has helped the Lakers rally from a 2-10 start to be within reaching distance of a playoff spot. And the media is praising him, too, saying that he is carrying the Lakers. But Rich Paul hasn’t forgotten the insults.
Rich Paul Blasted Those In The Media That Went In On Anthony Davis For His Injuries
The NBA is objectively worse when its stars cannot play, but players cannot control how many injuries they pick up. Some, like Kawhi Leonard and, indeed, Anthony Davis, are injured a lot more than others. But as he told GQ Sports in an interview, Rich Paul thinks the criticism can get stupid at times.
“Well, I think the first thing is, you’ve got to understand media. And I think the media has the job. Some of it’s scripted, some of it’s based on analytics, some of it’s based on viewership. When you talk about these topics, you see a rise in the viewership. And so the media, as it pertains to any player, but [especially] AD, is going to kick you when you down.
“Over the last couple years, he’s had some really freak situations. Guy gets pushed into his knee. And then I think the one before that, or the year before that, was a hamstring or a groin, whatever it was. Those are the things that happen when you play the sport.
“People act like, ‘Oh, he’s just hoping to go out and get injured.’ Or, ‘The guy don’t want to play.’ It’s stupidity at times, but that’s what comes with it.”
Anthony Davis is a Top 10 player in the league when he is at his best, and he is even entering conversations about the MVP award. There is a tendency to sometimes unfairly call out players for things out of their control, and Paul makes some valid points in his statement. It’s safe to say Anthony Davis is properly shutting up his doubters at the moment, though.
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