Anthony Davis and LeBron James believe they can lead the Lakers to another championship

Since LeBron James and Anthony Davis teamed up on the Los Angeles Lakers back in 2019, they have had their fair share of ups and downs. Although they brought an NBA Championship home in their first year together, injury and disappointment plagued their following years.This season started off the same, but Davis and James managed to turn things around, stay healthy, and led the Lakers to the Western Conference Finals. The offseason’s approach prompts a lot of questions about the Lakers’ roster, and Davis admits that they aren’t sure what the team will look like next year. Still, he believes that whoever joins the team must have the right mindset and come to training camp ready to build chemistry and foundations to take them further.

Even though LeBron completed his 20th NBA season, he and Davis showed that they are still a dominant force when they are healthy together. Davis acknowledges that they don’t have many opportunities to compete for championships and that their window could be closing soon. Therefore, he knows they must regroup and come back next year better, more consistent, and ready to go.

The end goal has always been to win a championship, and the Lakers fell short this year. However, Davis shut down the questions about being a playoff team and firmly believes that they can beat anyone if they have the right pieces around them. The Lakers have tough roster decisions to make this summer, but as long as James and Davis remain on the court, healthy, and still a dominant force, they will always be a worthy contender.

Anthony Davis spoke candidly after the Lakers were eliminated, delivering a brutally honest quote.

On Monday night, the Los Angeles Lakers suffered a playoff elimination from the Denver Nuggets after losing Game 4 in the Western Conference Finals by a score of 113-111. Despite his impressive Playoff performance, Anthony Davis’ shooting was subpar, with a 6/15 (40%) field goal percentage for the game. Davis played 40 minutes, recording 21 points, 14 rebounds, one assist, one steal, and three blocks. The Lakers had a challenging start to the season, winning only two out of their first twelve games, and securing the seventh seed in the Western Conference. Despite their performance, Davis stated that reaching the Conference Finals was not their end goal and that the team does not settle for moral victories.

“This wasn’t the end goal for us. We don’t do moral victories… We play to win championships.” Anthony Davis on the loss and the outlook going into next season. pic.twitter.com/yXSpXEYhT2

— Spectrum SportsNet (@SpectrumSN) May 23, 2023

Looking at Davis’ season-long performance, he averaged 25.9 points, 12.5 rebounds, 2.6 assists, 1.1 steals, and 2.0 blocks, with an impressive 56.3% field goal shooting average. Davis has played 11 seasons in the NBA, seven of which have been with the New Orleans Pelicans, and the remaining four with the Lakers.

LeBron James has reportedly notified Anthony Davis about his potential retirement plans.

Last night, Los Angeles Lakers’ highly paid center, Anthony Davis, had a press conference after the game, not realizing that LeBron James, who plays small forward, hinted at retirement. Dave McMenamin of ESPN informed Davis of this news, to which Davis reacted with shock. Anthony Davis then shared with McMenamin that James plans to retire by the time of the 2024 Summer Olympics. This is of interest to Davis, who may be considering competing in the Olympics and would be 31 by then.

Anthony Davis and James were teammates on the 2012 Olympic men’s basketball team, where they won gold. Davis has not played for Team USA Basketball since 2014, but has won the gold medal in that tournament as well. James won two Olympic gold medals; however, his final appearance was in 2012. Both James and Davis are under contract until next season, making this retirement talk a bit surprising. James may retire after his 2024-2025 year, his 40th season in the league, and is currently in the process of a $50.7 million player option.