Lakers share tribute to Anthony Davis in his first game back in Los Angeles since Luka Dončić trade
The Los Angeles Lakers were so excited to land Luka Dončić in a February trade that what they gave up has largely been glossed over. Anthony Davis may not have been the 25-year-old MVP candidate that the Lakers landed in Dončić, but he was arguably their best player for half of a decade. He helped them win a championship in 2020, and one day, his No. 3 jersey could hang in the Crypto.com Arena rafters. Even if the trade was necessary, it said nothing about Davis’ decorated tenure with the team.
The Lakers made sure to convey that message on Tuesday as Davis returned to Los Angeles for the first time as a member of the Dallas Mavericks. Though Davis did not play in Tuesday’s game as he makes his way back from injury, he was with the team and received a warm welcome from the fans in Los Angeles. The team followed that up with a video tribute that it played during the game.
Davis responded to the warm reaction from the fans with a smile and a wave to the crowd.
The other player that the Lakers traded, Max Christie, got a nice reception from Lakers fans as well when he was introduced. He has thrived in his new role in Dallas.
Davis requested a trade from the New Orleans Pelicans in 2019 with an eye on joining LeBron James with the Lakers. In that time he was named to four All-Star teams, two All-NBA teams and two All-Defensive teams. At no point did rumors suggest that he ever planned to leave Los Angeles. He signed two separate long-term deals with the Lakers, and by all accounts, the team was planning to build around him after James retired.
Dončić presented a once-in-a-generation opportunity to land arguably the best young player in basketball, a 25-year-old that could lead this franchise for a decade or more. Davis was an unfortunate casualty of that pursuit, but as Tuesday proved, he will always be treated as a Laker legend by the grateful fans who cheered him on for years.
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Davis helped the Lakers win a championship in 2020
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Lakers honor Anthony Davis, as Mavericks star sits out in return to L.A.
LOS ANGELES — Dallas Mavericks big man Anthony Davis wasn’t available to play against the Lakers in his return to Los Angeles, sitting out on Tuesday night at Crypto.com Arena because of a strained left adductor (inner thigh).
But the Lakers still honored Davis with a 2½-minute tribute video on the scoreboard midway through the first quarter of Tuesday’s game – featuring highlights of the 10-time All-Star’s 5½ seasons in Los Angeles. Former teammate and good friend LeBron James was among the many to applaud Davis as the video ended and Davis received a warm ovation from the sold-out arena.
“I just miss being around him every day,” Lakers coach JJ Redick said before the game. “He’s a fantastic human being. Wonderful teammate. For a guy who is a superstar, who has been in the Olympics and won the Finals and All-NBA, probably had a decent amount of skepticism with a coach who has never coached before – a former podcaster, if you will. For him to just accept me and be open to a relationship and to coach him was bigtime. It speaks a lot to who he is as a person.
“And I certainly miss him as a player, but certain inside jokes we had – it’s just a pleasure to be around him.”
Davis, who turns 32 next month, was a member of the NBA’s 75th anniversary team, helped the Lakers win the NBA title in the bubble in 2020, and – like Luka Doncic, the player he was traded for in the shocking deal on Feb. 1 – is a five-time All-NBA selection.
He averaged 24.8 points and 11.0 rebounds per game with the Lakers and finished his purple-and-gold tenure with the one NBA championship, four All-Star selections (2020-21, 2024-25) and a pair of All-NBA honors (2020, ’24).
Tuesday was the first time the Lakers and Mavericks squared off since the trade that brought Doncic, Maxi Kleber and Markieff Morris to Los Angeles and sent Davis, along with Max Christie, to Dallas as part of a three-time trade with the Utah Jazz.
The Lakers and Mavericks will play their final regular-season matchup on April 9 in Dallas, a reunion that might be more emotional, given how many Mavericks fans already have been extraordinarily vocal in their displeasure with the trade.
Tuesday was Doncic’s first time playing against the Mavericks, the franchise for whom he played 6½ seasons and made five consecutive All-NBA and All-Star teams.
“There’s probably a lot of things going on, for not just him, for Luka, but for everybody,” Mavericks coach Jason Kidd said. “When you look at Maxi and [Morris], really. They were with us too. So when you look at the three players that were involved in a trade that came to L.A. And then you have Christie and A.D., who’s not playing. Just the emotions. A.D. wants to play. Unfortunately, he’s hurt. And so when you look at what Luka’s probably going through, there’s a lot of attention on this just one game.
“But, the train keeps moving. This game is going to come and go. And understand that, he’s going to be one of the best players in the world. And the Lakers are fortunate to have him.”
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Lakers honor Anthony Davis, as Mavericks star…
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An injury denies Davis the chance to play in the teams’ first meeting since their shocking trade, but the 10-time All-Star gets a 2½-minute tribute video and a warm ovation.
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Lakers honor Anthony Davis with tribute video in return to LA
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In his return to Los Angeles, the Lakers honored Anthony Davis with a tribute video during the first quarter.
Many fans envisioned Anthony Davis’ career finishing out with the Lakers, including AD himself. In almost every timeline, he would play out his career in Southern California before having his jersey raised to the rafters.
However, in this timeline, Davis did not spend the remainder of his career donning purple and gold, instead being dealt to the Mavericks in the shocking Luka Dončić trade. It left everyone stunned, again including AD as well.
Tuesday, though, offered a bit of closure as Davis returned to Crypto.com Arena for the first time. While he wasn’t playing due to injury, he was still honored by the team during the first quarter with a tribute video.
While landing Luka is a deal everyone makes, it’s still an emotional goodbye for Lakers fans to AD. The big man was an integral part of winning an exceptionally meaningful title in 2020 and had become integrated with the franchise and the LA community as a whole.
In fact, that was clear before the game when AD was going through warm-ups on the court while fans marveled at the fact he’s a Mavs player now.
At his pregame presser, Lakers head coach JJ Redick spoke about AD returning and the relationship they had built in just a few months.
“I’ll start with just the fact that I miss being around him every day,” Redick said. “He’s a fantastic human being, wonderful teammate. For a guy who’s a superstar, who’s been in the Olympics and won the finals, is All-NBA, probably had a decent amount of skepticism with a coach who’s never coached before – a former podcaster, if you will – for him to just accept me and be open to a relationship and my coaching was big time. It speaks a lot to who he is as a person.
“You certainly miss him as a player, but…he’s just a pleasure to be around every day.”
It’ll be something that takes quite a while to get used to. The unexpected nature of the trade means the wounds were pretty large. Everyone involved, from fans to coaches to players, still isn’t completely used to this new normal.
Over time, they’ll heal for everyone involved, but it certainly is something that is going to take quite a while to get used to.
You can follow Jacob on Twitter at @JacobRude or on Bluesky at @jacobrude.bsky.social.
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