There are countless pretty sights in Crypto.com Arena. Perhaps the most eye-warming is up in the rafters, where numerous iconic jersey numbers rest. These are the Los Angeles Lakers after all. One of the most decorated sports franchises to ever exist.
From the Magics, to the Kobes, to the Kareems, to the Shaqs, those whose numbers have been cemented are inarguable figures in Lakers history. Now the debate: whose number is next?
How about the superstar that left the franchise almost three months ago? He’s perhaps a sure bet. But what about his ex-running mate? The guy who wore the No. 3 for nearly six years in L.A. He helped deliver the franchise’s first NBA championship in a decade. A few seasons later, he was traded in a deal that not even crazed NBA fans would dare to throw into a trade machine.
Lakers to Retire Anthony Davis’ Number?
The Athletic put together a list of players who could eventually have their numbers retired, placing them into tiers ranging from safe bets to those who are close, on the way and even “local heroes.” In the “definitely will be retired” tier, superstar big man Anthony Davis checks in, with The Athletic believing the Lakers will eventually retire his No. 3 jersey.
“The Lakers always retire the numbers of their Hall of Famers who made an impact in purple and gold. Davis was arguably the best defender in the NBA when the Lakers won the 2020 championship,” the article read.
All things considered, Davis surely has an argument.
Firstly, Davis was acquired in a seismic trade that saw the Lakers mortgage its future in the 2019 offseason. Anytime a player gets traded for a young core, each glossed with the “future superstar” label, expectations are ginormous. Then one considers the fact that Davis was brought in to be LeBron James’ co-star.
Davis delivered in a big way in just his first season, averaging 26.1 points 9.3 rebounds and 2.3 blocks per game in the regular season before establishing himself as a driving force of a team that marched to the NBA Finals and completed the mission.
In 5 ½ seasons as a Laker, Davis averaged 24.8 points, 11 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 2.2 blocks per game. He was selected to four All-Star teams and two All-NBA teams. He was also twice a member of the All-Defensive First Team.
It Didn’t End Well…
Maybe most Lakers fans love Davis. There’s just this feeling that he would have been looked at as this beloved Laker if his time in L.A. didn’t end the way it did. Check that. If it didn’t end with half the country asleep on some random night in February.
“I still think I deserved much more respect than that,” Davis said, reflecting on the stunning trade that sent him to Dallas and Luka Doncic to Los Angeles. “All the time I’ve been here. S—, I was there six years. We won a championship. All this stuff, and I can’t get a phone call or a text of, ‘This is what we’re thinking.’”
Davis might have felt slighted by the Lakers. He still might feel that way. He even conceded that he “had no idea” the Lakers were onto making such a move and said that he “couldn’t make sense of it.”
But Davis accomplished too much in Los Angeles to not one day have his jersey hanging up there with the many other Lakers greats.
Lakers Expected to Retire 6-Yr Player’s Jersey Despite Ugly Split With Franchise