You could say Kobe Bryant is responsible for Anthony Davis to go play for the Los Angeles Lakers. The Brow was one of the best bigs in the league with the New Orleans Pelicans but as soon as he landed in Los Angeles, his game reached the next level. Playing with LeBron James is always an advantage and Davis took the most profit off that.
It looks like LeBron was the one pushing for the Lakers to get AD but it was Kobe Bryant who dropped this idea one year before the Lakers pulled the trigger on that move. AD had trained with Kobe in the summer of 2018. The Black Mamba was enchanted by the big and he advised Rob Pelinka, his best friend and Lakers GM at the time, to try to acquire Davis if he had the chance.
The team landed LeBron in 2018 and one year later, they sent a package of young players and draft picks in exchange for Davis, in a move that paid off for them.
“Hey, you know I don’t give you GM advice,” Bryant said via Sports Illustrated. “But if you ever get a chance to get this guy, he is the avatar of what you want. His level of footwork, his dexterity, his mastery of the details of the game. Guys like this are generational players.”
There you go. Kobe was always thinking about what was best for his franchise. He ate, drank and breathe Lakers and if he had the chance to recommend players for the team, he wouldn’t let it go. Davis paid respect to Kobe during his first season with the Lakers, trying to make him proud and even shouting ‘Kobe’ when he hit a game-winner against the Denver Nuggets in the 2020 WCF.
They were connected even before Davis played with the purple and gold and Pelinka and co. couldn’t be happier to have listened to Kobe’s words.
