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Anthony Davis was mocked by TNT analysts and Hall of Famers Shaquille O’Neal and Charles Barkley after he left the Los Angeles Lakers Game 5 loss to the Golden State Warriors early following a blow to the head.
Davis was inadvertently struck in the side of the head by Warriors big man Kevon Looney during the fourth quarter and exited the game. Davis was “woozy” after the hit to the head and the team put him in a wheelchair, per ESPN’s Dave McMenamin. The star big man recovered and walked out of the stadium under his own power.
Head injuries are no joke but Davis’ situation had Barkley and O’Neal uncontrollably laughing in their postgame show.
Neither Barkley nor O’Neal acknowledged what they were laughing at, saying they were laughing at each other. But it was fairly evident that they were poking fun at Davis’ situation. Twitter did not respond kindly to their reaction.
“Bunch of sad losers. When it was PG and Kawhi, they were acting like it was the end of the world. Oh but AD gets hurt, they laugh it off as if it’s the funniest thing they’ve ever seen. Sad,” one user wrote.
“Not one damn thing about this is funny. Reacting to head injuries like this is gross, to be frank,” Jacob Rude of Silver Screen and Roll tweeted. “Embarrassing stuff, man.”
Charles Barkley Calls Anthony Davis ‘Street Clothes’
The TNT crew — Barkley in particular — have been critical of Davis for his extensive injury history. Barkley gave him the nickname “Street Clothes” previously for the amount of time he has missed.
“Yeah, I called him, ‘Street Clothes,’” Barkley told the Los Angeles Times in 2022. “I mean, I don’t know if he’s ever played 82 games. I mean, he’s been hurt more than he has played.”
Davis responded to Barkley, saying the harsh commentary doesn’t bother him.
“I don’t care what he says,” Davis said. “People say stuff for ratings. Like, they got to push their show, push their blog, push their podcast, whatever it is. So, people got to say something to bring in viewers. It is what it is. I go out there and play basketball and let them do their job. My job is to hoop. Their job is to talk about me.”
Davis played in 56 games this season, missing a chunk of time due to a foot injury. He said prior to the season that his goal was to play in all 82 games.
Anthony Davis Expected to be OK for Game 6
The Lakers were not able to close out the series in Game 5 and now head into a crucial Game 6 against the Warriors on Friday. The team is hopeful that Davis will be available for that matchup.
“Obviously everyone saw he took a shot to the head, but we just checked on him,” Lakers coach Darvin Ham said after the game. “He seems to be doing really good already. That’s just where he’s at. That’s the status of it right now.”
Davis finished with 23 points on 10-for-18 shooting with nine rebounds and three assists. But his play and availability were the last things on the Lakers player’s minds after the matchup.
“The medical team said he’s doing better. That’s what matters most,” LeBron James said.
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