Former teammates Anthony Davis and Jarred Vanderbilt light-heartedly went at it with each other during Tuesday’s game between the Dallas Mavericks and Los Angeles Lakers. Vanderbilt exchanged words with Kyrie Irving and P.J. Washington in the third quarter, which led to Davis stepping in to defuse the situation.
It’s clear there’s still a lot of love there, which is great to see. Davis and Vanderbilt had been teammates on the Lakers from 2023 to 2025 and appeared to have gotten close over time.
Davis had previously even pranked Vanderbilt on the first episode of his show, Foul Play. The two shared a hearty laugh afterward, but it wasn’t too long after this episode was filmed that they had to part ways.
The Lakers stunningly shipped Davis to the Mavericks on Feb. 2 as part of the package for Luka Doncic. The 31-year-old would have circled this game on the calendar after the trade but was unable to take part.
Davis suffered a left adductor strain on his Mavericks debut against the Houston Rockets on Feb. 8 and has been on the sidelines since. He is set to be reevaluated in early March, and here’s hoping the 10-time All-Star is able to return sooner rather than later.
The Mavericks certainly could have used Davis in this clash with the Lakers. It was a fairly even game for much of the fourth quarter, but the hosts managed to pull away at the end to come away with a 107-99 win. Would the outcome have been different with Davis? Possibly.
As for Vanderbilt, he finished with eight points (3-5 FG), three rebounds, and two assists against the Mavericks. The 25-year-old continues to impress defensively off the bench for the Lakers, and they’ll need him to keep it up after parting with Davis.
The Lakers Honored Anthony Davis With A Tribute Video
While there might be some bad blood between the Mavericks and Doncic, that’s not the case when it comes to the Lakers and Davis. The franchise paid tribute to the big man on his return with a special video.
Tribute to a Lakers legend: Anthony Davis 💜 pic.twitter.com/IbhmfrGkju
— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) February 26, 2025
That was well-deserved, too. It was the arrival of Davis in 2019 that turned the Lakers into a title contender, and he’d help them win it all in 2020. While some stars might have taken offense to being traded out of the blue, Davis appeared to understand it’s just business at the end of the day. He probably would have traded himself for Doncic, too.
The Mavericks are hoping that Davis one day helps them win a title as well, but the immediate focus would be on helping him get back on the court as quickly as possible. They have somewhat stayed afloat in his absence with a 31-28 record but need their star back soon if they are to avoid the play-in tournament.
The Mavericks certainly won’t have Davis back for their next game, though, when they take on the Charlotte Hornets at American Airlines Center on Thursday at 8:30 PM ET.
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