It’s hard to imagine a reality in which things are going better for Anthony Davis, LeBron James, and the Los Angeles Lakers. Through the first 27 games of the season, the Lakers are an amazing 24-3, tied with the Milwaukee Bucks for the best record in the NBA.
But it wasn’t long ago that everything was flipped not only in Lakerland but also for Davis. The Lakers were struggling and Davis was persona non grata not only in New Orleans but among all NBA fans who had started to leave Davis out of discussions about the best big man in the league. However, all of that changed when the Lakers traded in their young pieces and several draft picks to the New Orleans Pelicans in exchange for Davis.
During an interview with GQ, Davis’ agent Rich Paul discussed the way people looked at Davis as something that many fans and much of the media “didn’t understand.”
They didn’t understand the situation he was in. They didn’t play in the place for however many years and feel as if there was a change needed. A lot of times the people around sports discredit certain things because it is a sport. And growing up, sporting is recreational, all the way up until you get to this point, where it’s a billion-dollar (expletive) business.
From AD’s perspective, he just felt it was time for change. There’s nothing wrong with that. As a player, the side that people don’t see is like, okay, yeah, I can go out and score 40 every night, but I can’t make you put certain things around me because I don’t have that power. I have to bet on you to do so. And in the event that I’m good enough that, if I feel that’s not happening, and I can change something? Then I’ll change it. Or I’ll seek to change it.
In his case, he seeked to change something in the best way possible. People viewed it a certain way without knowing the facts. But again, that’s television, that’s entertainment, that’s people sitting in the room at 6:00 A.M., saying we’re going to get on TV and say this and say that and create this narrative, et cetera. We understand that. We was never bothered by that. At the end of the day, there’s only 30 teams. You’re blessed to play for one of them. But with anything in life, stature gives you the opportunity to do certain things, to position certain things, and when that stature’s earned, that’s the benefit of it.
In addition to Davis landing with the Lakers and finding immediate success around LeBron James, Paul also had quite the summer when it came to taking care of his clients as Draymond Green and Ben Simmons each signed massive contract extensions in the summer.
Davis and James are working out better than anyone imagined, with James and Davis both making a strong case for NBA MVP while Davis is making one for his first career Defensive Player of the Year award.
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