Getty Lakers stars Anthony Davis and LeBron James
LeBron James issued a strong statement on Anthony Davis after the Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Memphis Grizzlies on March 7.
James, who is out with a right foot injury, called Davis an “animal” after the big man went off for 30 points and 22 rebounds versus the Grizzlies.
YESSIR!!!!! #LakeShow @AntDavis23 you’re a ANIMAL!!! 😤😤😤
The Grizzlies had no answers for Davis, who shot 11-of-17 from the field, 1-of-2 from beyond the arc and 7-of-9 from the free-throw line. The Chicago native had a plus-minus of +24 as the Lakers improved to 32-34 on the season. The purple and gold have sole possession of ninth place in the Western Conference standings. Seeds 7-10 make the play-in tournament.
“We don’t want to stop there,” Davis said postgame when asked about the Lakers getting to the ninth spot in the West. “We want to be greedy, get as many wins as possible and try to keep moving up the ladder. We still got to take care of business and do what we’re supposed to do, but it feels good to move up another spot and continue chasing our goal, which is to not only be in the play-in, but possibly securing a top-six spot.”
Anthony Davis Wants to Get His Number Retired like Pau Gasol
The Lakers retired Pau Gasol’s No. 16 jersey on March 7. Davis, who helped the LakeShow win the 2020 championship over the Miami Heat, wants to join Gasol in the rafters one day.
“That’s a huge honor to be up there with the greats and he deserves it to be up there,” Davis said. “The list of big men that came through the Lakers organization and dominated and left their mark, it’s hard not to think about it. Obviously, I want to be in that category, in that group, and whenever my body tells me that I’m done playing, hopefully, I’m able to come back here and have the ceremony that Pau and the rest of the big men and other former Lakers have had.”
Davis is averaging 26.5 points and 12.5 rebounds this season while shooting 56.3% from the floor. He has 30 double-doubles and is carrying the load while James recovers from his right foot tendon injury.
“Davis is stepping up for the Lakers when they need him the most — something he hasn’t been able to do consistently over the past three seasons due to various injuries,” Jovan Buha of The Athletic wrote on March 7. “If he maximizes his potential, it’ll only be a matter of time until he joins Gasol among the Laker greats.”
When Will LeBron James Be Back?
James is currently in a walking boot and there may be a chance he misses more than three weeks, according to NBA insider Shams Charania. The Lakers announced on March 2 that James would be re-evaluated in approximately three weeks.
“Three-week evaluation, re-evaluation for him, and even after that, I don’t know if the Lakers think he’s gonna be back in three weeks,” Charania said on March 6. “I don’t think it’ll be just the three weeks. Likely beyond that. And so you put yourself in a position where you hope that he’s back right before the playoffs or he gets back for the play-in.”
.@ShamsCharania says the #Lakers will re-evaluate LeBron James in 3 weeks, with “hope that he’s back right before the playoffs” 😬
James is averaging 29.5 points, 8.4 rebounds and 6.9 assists this season. The Lakers hope that the four-time Finals MVP can return before the regular season ends, sources told Heavy Sports.