The brief moment between LeBron James and Anthony Davis before the Lakers faced the Mavericks created a big storm online. One short clip, taken from an angle, made it look like Davis ignored LeBron when the Lakers star tried to mess with him before tipoff.
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Social media ran with it instantly, turning a second of awkward body language into a story about tension, betrayal, and emotional fallout of the trade.
The reality was far more ordinary, and the full video taken from a separate angle proves it.
In the clip that went viral, Davis was standing at the center circle when LeBron tried to playfully bump him twice to get his attention. Davis, however, kept his head down and was locked in as this was his first game back after missing 14 straight games with a calf injury.
That particular angle seemed like Davis intentionally ignored him, building the narrative that he was upset with LeBron for the trade.
But another video taken from a different angle shows nothing more than two former teammates just having fun before the start of the game. Davis and LeBron stopped and did their usual handshake, the same one they’ve done for nearly six seasons together in Los Angeles.
LeBron James gives Anthony Davis a playful bump at center court and then they completed their customary handshake pic.twitter.com/D5aD2oFOmF
— Mark Medina (@MarkG_Medina) November 29, 2025
They even repeated the same handshake again after the final buzzer.
LeBron dapping up some of his former Laker teammates after the game. Vogel, AD, Christie, D-Lo. pic.twitter.com/vuDhlgAf3n
— Mark Travis (@Mark_Travis) November 29, 2025
Once the second angle surfaced, it became clear that the first video was being blown completely out of proportion. Davis wasn’t ignoring LeBron. It wasn’t drama. It was a veteran star under a lot of pressure, preparing for his first game in nearly a month, and he was trying to stay fully focused. And his close friend was trying to mess with him at the same time.
The timing added fuel to the fire, especially since it was Davis’s first game back after the trade. Fans were ready to read into anything. Some insisted Davis must be ‘sick’ about being traded. Others joked that he wasn’t doing handshakes with LeBron anymore and that he looked annoyed.
But the handshake at center court erased that storyline the moment it appeared. There was no hostility, no tension, and no message being sent. If anything, it showed that the two remain as close as ever.
Once the game started, Davis showed exactly why he didn’t spend warmups joking around. He played with purpose. In 28 minutes, he finished with 12 points, five rebounds, five assists, and three blocks, displaying the flashes of dominance that Dallas has been desperately missing during his absence. LeBron, meanwhile, put up 13 points, seven assists, and five rebounds as the Lakers extended their winning streak to six with a 129-119 win.
Most importantly, the full video ended the debate. There was no snub. No drama. No cold shoulder. Just a misleading clip, a quick overreaction from social media, and two stars who still share the same chemistry and respect they built during their championship run.
The proof is there: Anthony Davis didn’t ignore LeBron James at all.
