LeBron James broke the NBA’s all-time scoring record and it was one of the most impressive accomplishments in sports history.
It was a unique achievement celebrated with enthusiasm both in the arena and by fans around the world. The unique moment of his greatness will not be forgotten by anyone who bore witness.
While it seemed that virtually everyone in the arena sprung to their feet in anticipation of LeBron finally surpassing Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, there was one notable exception. His star teammate, Anthony Davis, did not share that joy in the same way as everyone who was around him.
For whatever reason, Davis didn’t stand up to acknowledge what his Los Angeles running mate had just done. It was very bizarre to watch, courtesy of Anthony Irwin:
Had this DM'ed to me. Can't help but wonder what was up with AD tonight. pic.twitter.com/zTruSPcqSk
— Anthony F. Irwin (@AnthonyIrwinLA) February 8, 2023
We don’t know the context of why Davis reacted the way that he did.
Could he have chosen a strange time to be upset he didn’t make the All-Star team? Is he upset that his name was recently mentioned in a trade rumor?
Perhaps his mind was on something else and he just got lost in the moment, briefly forgetting where he was for this slice of history. Maybe he had just received some bad news. He could have been beating himself up about not playing particularly well in a must-win game.
Davis didn’t look particularly healthy or impactful when he was on the court. Maybe there is something that happened that the public doesn’t know about yet. But the optics make this look like an awful lack of support from Davis.
Later in the game, during the fourth quarter, the NBA on TNT camera crew also caught a mic’d up LeBron trying to celebrate with Davis:
"I just want to let you know I love you bro."
-Lebron James to Anthony Davis❤️pic.twitter.com/1Ov9Ee2Gq2
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPointsApp) February 8, 2023
LeBron said, “I just want you to know I love you, bro. That’s all I want you to know.”
Once again, however, Davis didn’t show much enthusiasm or give LeBron any of that love back in return.
It’s worth noting that during his postgame interview after the loss, Davis seemed very frustrated and despondent about the way his team played:
"In your opinion, what are the biggest things that need to change…?"
Anthony Davis: "Win games. Simple."
— Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) February 8, 2023
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We may never know why Davis didn’t do the classy thing and stand up to celebrate what LeBron accomplished, but it’s a curiosity that will probably bother Lakers fans — especially if Davis doesn’t start playing better soon.
With 27 games remaining this season, the Lakers are five games below .500 and two games back of a spot in the Western Conference play-in tournament.
Davis must get back to playing how he was before he got hurt earlier this season for Los Angeles to have any shot of contention for the remainder of the season.
