LeBron James says Anthony Davis is the face of Lakers

LeBron James says Anthony Davis is the face of the Lakers as the team looks to build on last season’s run to the Western Conference Finals.

EL SEGUNDO, Calif. – Twenty years into his NBA career, and with all the accomplishments he’s accomplished, there’s no room on the trophy shelf anymore, LeBron James seems to have run out of room. Get ready to pass the torch to teammate Anthony Davis to become the leader of the Los Angeles Lakers.

“He’s the face of (the team),” James told ESPN during the Lakers’ annual media day on Monday. “You look at all the (retirement) numbers around these facilities, all the great players that have come here, AD is one of them.” Before the offseason, James and Davis’ contracts were concurrent, with both players Both have the option to stay in Los Angeles through the 2024-25 season in recent years’ deals.

However, Davis pushed his timeline beyond James’ by signing a three-year, $186 million max contract extension in August that will keep him on Purple and Gold through 2028 . At the time of the deal, this was the most lucrative one-year contract extension available. In league history, the average revenue per game per season is $62 million.

“I’m very, very happy and very proud,” James told ESPN when asked about the Davis trade. “It’s great to see him get an extension and be a part of his team year in and year out. So far. So far, it’s been a pleasure playing with him and I hope we can do great things.” James publicly urged Los Angeles to acquire Davis almost as soon as the four-time MVP joined the Lakers. After the Lakers acquired Davis in a trade with the New Orleans Pelicans in 2019, the two worked perfectly together in the first season. They kicked off their first season in 2020 by winning the championship inside the NBA bubble in Orlando, Florida. But subsequent results haven’t been at the same level, with Los Angeles losing in the first round in 2021 and being ruled out of the 2022 playoffs by injuries. . Davis and others paid the price.

But this spring, Davis and the Lakers re-emerged in the Western Conference Finals, with the eight-time All-Star hitting career highs in field goal percentage (56.3) and rebounds (12.5) while averaging 25.9 points and 2.0 rebounds per game. Block shot. game. game.

However, when reporters asked him directly if his new contract made him feel like he was on their team now, Davis didn’t give in to the skepticism.

“I think this is the Lakers, I play for the Lakers,” Davis said firmly.

Davis’ importance to the franchise cannot be understated, and whether or not he has the unofficial title of being the face of the franchise, he acknowledges it. “I think I’m going to be the second-biggest guy here now, so these guys are relying on me a lot,” Davis, 30, said. “I feel like I have a responsibility to be one of the leaders on the team with LeBron. It’s my job to help these guys and the young guys and continue to be with them. Let them know what we need, what we need to improve on, and show them Providing advice so that we can unite and compete for the championship.”

Davis, who missed 26 games last season with a foot injury, entered training camp saying he was “feeling good physically” and maintained his goal from last season to stay on the court as much as possible.

“My goal every year is to play 82 games,” Davis said. “I didn’t do anything different this summer. I took some time off. I’m back in the lab and ready to go. Nothing has changed. Every year you want to be out in every game and give your team something Chance to win. “Especially for my role, I know he’s a big part of this team and will definitely help us on the pitch. “