Anthony Davis, star of the Los Angeles Lakers, has spoken in the past about the importance of family and called his family “the greatest luxury in life” in a past interview with Haute Living. The NBA star grew up with two sisters and his parents in Chicago, Illinois. He is now married with three children.
Here’s what you need to know about Anthony Davis’ family:
1. Anthony Davis’ Father Is Anthony Davis Sr. & He Gave Him Valuable Advice About His Basketball Career
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Davis grew up on Chicago’s South Side with his parents, Anthony Davis Sr. and Erainer Davis, and two sisters. Their parents didn’t want them walking to the park in the troubled Englewood area so his father, who was a carpenter, built his children a full-length basketball court in their backyard, he told Sports Illustrated.
During the colder months, Davis spent his time playing at the gym at St. Columbanus School. His uncle, Keith Chamberlain Sr., was the athletic director there so Davis often helped him out by taking tickets at the door, keeping the time for games, or even selling food at concessions.
The NBA star is very close with his whole family and his parents have often visited him, first in New Orleans when he played with the Pelicans and then in Los Angeles to see him play for the Lakers. When he can’t make it, Anthony Davis Sr. texts his son before each game, he told Sports Illustrated. “Have fun. Get the team engaged,” he’ll write his son.
Beyond his encouraging words, Davis’ father also gave him useful advice when he was growing up. The future NBA star was attending Perspectives Charter School, which was a high school focused more on academics than athletics. Davis was debating transferring to a more athletically-focused school so he’d have a greater chance of being scouted but his father convinced him to stay at Perspectives.
“He told me, ‘No matter where you are, they’ll find you,'” Davis recalled in an Haute Living interview. “He wanted me to stay in this small school because he was very big on loyalty — and so was I — and I ended up making it to the pros. He made sure that I didn’t get off track or get caught up in the hype… It was the best thing that could happen for me.”
Cortez Hale, Davis’ high school coach, told the Los Angeles Times that Davis’ parents “just always wanted the best for their son. [They said,] ‘Whatever he wants to do, we’re going to keep him safe or keep him in the right situation. We’re going to do it.’ So that’s why they kept with Perspectives.”
Davis Sr. also hasn’t shied away from making his opinion on his son’s options known as he told ESPN back in 2019 that he didn’t want Davis playing for the Boston Celtics. At the time, Davis was playing for the New Orleans Pelicans but he’d asked for a trade.
“I would never want my son to play for Boston after what they done to Isaiah Thomas,” Davis Sr. told ESPN in reference to Thomas getting traded during his hip injury recovery. “No loyalty. Guy gives his heart and soul and they traded him.” Davis was eventually traded to the Lakers.
2. Anthony Davis’ Mother Is Erainer Davis & She Is One of His Biggest Supporters & Influenced Him to Be Involved in Charities
Anthony Davis is also very close to his mother, Erainer Davis, and shared with Haute Living that his whole family was into the sport. “My whole family played basketball, and I don’t want to say I was forced, but I definitely fell in line [because of them] and fell in love with the game from there,” he shared.
Despite that, the 6′ 10″ Lakers’ power forward and center is head and shoulders above his father, who is 6’2″ and his mother at 5’10”. Although he didn’t exactly get his height from his parents, he shared that he got his passion for charity from his parents, especially his mother. “My family is huge on giving back, being grateful for what we have and big on helping others,” he told the magazine.
“I learned a lot from my family in that aspect,” he continued. “Some of the stuff I have now, I didn’t have as a kid, so being able to help kids have some of the stuff I didn’t have — and adults as well — is important to me,” he added. While in New Orleans, he received the NBA Cares Community Assist Award on several occasions, including for his work with his AD Flight Academy, a series of events for children in the community.
“Giving back means a lot to me and my family, so winning a Community Assist Award for the third year in a row is a great honor and a blessing,” Davis said when he received the award in 2016. Davis also notably gave the Kia he won as the 2017 NBA All-Star Game MVP to a mother of two with the assistance of local charity Kingsley House.
His generosity extends to his family as well, as he surprised his mother with a new car for Mother’s Day back in 2012. In an interview with The Advocate, Erainer Davis recalled going to Lexington, Kentucky, with her son to help him pick out a car. However, when they arrived, “He told me he wanted me to pick out a car for me,” she shared. “I said, ‘But I already have a car.’ He said, ‘I want you to pick out one.’” That day, Erainer Davis left with a Chrysler 300.
She said her son stayed grounded despite the fame, and his maturity and independence are what’s made her the proudest. She shared that when he first moved to New Orleans, she’d visit at least twice a month and would wash his clothes and cook. “When I come to New Orleans, he wants me to cook his favorite meal — dirty rice, collard greens, fried chicken and macaroni and cheese — and I have to bake chocolate chip cookies,” she shared.
3. Anthony Davis Has 2 Sisters, a Twin Sister Named Antoinette Davis & an Older Sister Named Iesha Davis Who Also Played Basketball
Davis grew up with two sisters, an older sister named Iesha and a twin sister named Antoinette. According to an interview with the Los Angeles Times, both Iesha and Antoinette Davis attended Perspectives Charter Schools along with their brother. The family went to almost every basketball game throughout Davis’ time there, the outlet wrote.
After high school, Davis’ older sister Iesha Davis continued playing basketball, first as a 5-10 forward at Richard J. Daley College in Chicago before getting drafted by the Harlem Globetrotters in 2012, Kentucky Sports Radio shared.
Davis also spoke about his older sister in an interview at a WNBA game, saying, “My older sister always played the game of basketball, it was kinda like that Reggie Miller Cheryl Miller thing where the older Cheryl used to beat on Reggie then he became good. It was the same thing with me and my older sister,” he smiled.
Iesha Davis is now the owner of KLASSY N’ Divine Boutique in Sheboygan, Wisconsin, offering clothes, bags and accessories. According to Sheboygan Press, Iesha Davis opened the boutique in March 2020 with her partner, KeeKee Jones. The publication also reported that Davis’ older sister is a certified personal trainer at the YMCA. An Instagram post from the boutique owners appears to show Iesha Davis on her wedding day.
Like Davis, both his sisters are private and have their personal Instagram pages set to private. However, a feature in the Los Angeles Times from 2019 featured an interview with Kobe Bryant, Davis’ friend and teammate at the 2012 Olympics. Bryant said that after the Lakers played in New Orleans, where Davis was still playing, the two of them would get together after the game along with Davis’ family and chat. Bryant described Davis’ twin sister Antoinette as the more outgoing of the twins.
In 2012, prior to Davis entering the draft, Antoinette Davis said people would go to the clothing store where she worked and asked her to take photos with them. She described it as “crazy,” the Wall Street Journal reported. In fact, while Davis used to post a lot of photos with his twin sister many years ago, he now posts mostly basketball photos to maintain the family’s privacy.
4. Some of Anthony Davis’ Cousins & His Uncle Were Also Involved in Basketball & Athletics
In addition to playing with his sister when growing up, Davis told ESPN that he played with his cousins, Jarvis, Marshaun and Keith Chamberlain when they were younger. Keith Chamberlain went on to play basketball in college and also played professionally in Germany.
In an interview with Sports Illustrated, Davis said his cousin Keith Chamberlain was his hero when he was younger.
Once Davis joined the NBA with the New Orleans Pelicans, Chamberlain described going to Sacramento to see the Kings play against the Pelicans. “We looked up at the scoreboard in the fourth quarter and he had 25,” Chamberlain shared with Sports Illustrated. “We didn’t notice. But there were so many tip-ins, putbacks, energy plays, instinct plays, dives, lobs. It’s scary to think about what he’ll be when he figures everything out.”
5. Anthony Davis Is Married to Marlen Davis & the Couple Shares 3 Kids Together
Davis’ family has been growing the last few years and the NBA star now has three kids with his wife, Marlen Davis. The Lakers player has been with his partner for several years now but the couple only tied the knot in September 2021 in a big wedding ceremony in Los Angeles. They welcomed their first child together, a girl named Nala, on November 1, 2017.
Since then, the couple has had two sons, although Davis hasn’t posted their faces or names on his Instagram page. He shared in 2021 that he had a son “on the way” who was born before his wedding to Marlen Davis on September 18, 2021. He’s since shown off his son after a Lakers game in 2023, holding him in his arms and walking around the court with him.
More recently, Davis said the highlight of his summer of 2022 was welcoming a third child, a boy, to his family. He said he now has a girl and two boys and described his and Marlen Davis’ kids as their “blessing.” In fact, Davis previously told Haute Living that family was the most important part of his life and no matter what happens in life, family is the one constant and they’ll always be there.
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Anthony Davis’ Parents & Family: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know