This year, the modest big man with a talent for electrifying a packed house is making his ninth trip to the All-Star Game, and he’s bringing a few friends along.
The sound of Anthony Davis receiving the ball from a teammate while he is standing beneath the basket is arguably one of the loudest moments during a Lakers game. As men’s arms flail around his head and body, he sidesteps, pivots, and slightly bends his knees as he suspends in the air. He also lifts his arms over his head while keeping his hands glued to the basketball that’s between them. The ball slides through, tapping the net on all sides, as his hands immediately return to their original position at the rim. At that moment, the energy of the fans explodes, feeling as though they could blow the roof off the arena. They take this action each time it occurs. And Anthony Davis always repays the favor by flexing his arms, yelling back, and occasionally even pummeling his chest.
“…I just like to get the crowd into it and get them amped up with my type of play,” Davis explained the morning of the team’s last game of their Grammy road trip in Charlotte. “It’s usually making a big dunk and having them get into it and our team get into it, it’s always good having a big impact play where I can get the crowd into it.”
Davis learned he had been chosen as an All-Star Reserve for the upcoming All-Star Game just a few days earlier. He expressed gratitude for being chosen and expressed excitement about being a part of the game, especially since this year will differ slightly from his previous attendance.
“This will be my first All Star with my boys,” Davis said of his two sons. “It will be good for them to experience All Star and have a little fun. So, I’m looking forward to spending this one with my family.”
This season, Davis is averaging 12.2 rebounds, 2.4 blocks, and a 55.1% field goal percentage. The All-Star Game is always primarily focused on offense, which AD understands as a defensive-minded big man, but it won’t stop the Brow from playing his game.
“Fourth quarter, when you have the target scorer, that’s usually when the defense comes to play. I know the first three quarters is all about fun and trying to win the money for either team’s charity, my job comes down to the fourth quarter when you’re trying to reach that target scorer and win the basketball game,” Davis explained.
“It’s a good feeling to know,” Austin Reaves explained. “You can be a little bit more aggressive on the ball. Even if he doesn’t block the shot, he’s going to alter it. I remember we were messing around in practice, and I asked him to guard me. I got a good jump shot, about 17ft, and he blocked it—I think from the block— so I understand everybody’s pain when they go try to finish on him because it’s not easy.”
The team went into a slump following their victory in the NBA’s first-ever In-season Tournament. Davis was defeated, but he stayed composed and gave strong performances. No. 3 responded when asked where his recent aggression had stemmed from: “The frustration of losing…I hate losing. I don’t care about my own individual play; I only care about winning. If I play badly and we win, that’s all that matters. Obviously, you think about things you can do to help the team, and I think all of us just looked at ourselves in the mirror and thought about what we could do to help each other individually. It’s not really about what I can do, but what we can do to be better as a unit.”
The Lakers’ luck turned, and they triumphed over Toronto by a single point on January 9. Without Anthony Davis’ 20 points in the fourth quarter, it’s doubtful the Lakers would have won in the closing seconds of the game.
When questioned about his 41 points, 11 rebounds, and six assists after the game, the big man shifted the blame to his teammates. “My teammates are doing a fantastic job of passing the ball to me when it’s where I can be most useful.”
“For you personally, to close it out…” the question was asked again. AD shook his head as he heard each word, “It was all of us, it wasn’t just me… honestly.”
“I mean AD’s our anchor when it comes to our defense and he can do anything on the floor,” LeBron James said of his counterpart. “I don’t think we have another one in our league that can do it, that can guard 1-5 and we know that he can get a stop. I mean he’s been doing it so long and I think it’s taken for granted by our league when we talk about defensive players of the league and guys that can defend at a high level, it’s more than just blocking shots. It’s being able to switch out and disrupt offenses, it’s being able to switch out on perimeter marquee guys. The ability to shut down everything and disrupt everything. AD does that. He’s our anchor.”
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