Anthony Davis faced his former team tonight, the Pelicans, over six years after his trade away from the franchise in 2019. However, there was no love lost between him and the Pelicans fans, who booed him on the court multiple times when Davis got the ball.
The Pelicans fans still haven’t forgiven AD “BOOOOOO” pic.twitter.com/lXjyGVCkmw
— MavsHighlights (@MavsHighlights) December 23, 2025
NBA fans saw this on social media and expressed their feelings about Davis facing backlash from the supporters of his former team.
“Pelicans fans are still salty lmao, love it.”
“They gotta boo something with how sorry that franchise is.”
“Gotta keep themselves entertained this season somehow, I guess.”
“They’ve been doing this since the 2019-2020 season. Hopefully, when he retires, they’ll appreciate him more.”
“They gotta let it go, man. It’s been YEARS.”
“Pelican fans still holding on to some grudges.”
“Unserious franchise.”
Anthony Davis had the perfect response and dropped 22 points and 10 rebounds while shooting 10-of-16 from the field in the first half alone. He finished the game with 35 points, 17 rebounds, and two assists while shooting 16-of-28 from the field.
But the Pelicans had the last laugh as they rallied back from an 11-point deficit to steal the game in the fourth quarter.
Following the game, Zion Williamson and James Borrego, the Pelicans’ head coach, were both grateful to the Pelicans fans for creating an atmosphere that helped the team rally back to win this game.
“We just had to get a few wins to bring them back out. Even when the crowd is not like this, the fans are still there. They’re still active,” said Williamson after the game.
It has been nearly seven years since Davis left New Orleans after becoming an All-Star six times and being a part of multiple All-NBA teams. The fans believed Davis would be the future of the team, but he decided to demand a trade in January 2019. Months later, in June, his blockbuster move to the Lakers was finalized.
Since then, he has averaged 26.9 points, 11.8 rebounds, and 3.1 assists over the 16 games that he has played against the Pelicans. The Mavericks have fallen to 11-19 following this 113-119 loss against the Pelicans.
Meanwhile, from being the worst team in the NBA, the Pelicans have gone on a five-game win streak and improved their record to 8-22 after tonight’s result. They now move on to face the Nuggets tomorrow, while the Pelicans will face the Cavaliers on the same day.
