The career of former Los Angeles Lakers superstar Anthony Davis will forever be defined by two monumental trades — the one that sent him to L.A. to team up with LeBron James, and the one that landed him in Dallas six years later, breaking the championship-winning duo apart.
Neither Davis or James has admitted having any knowledge of the shocking deal that shipped Davis to the Mavericks and brought Luka Doncic to the Lakers. That fact may be in part responsible for the two maintaining a good relationship despite the drastic in-season move that likely ended their run as professional teammates in any capacity. James turned 40 years old in December, and it is unlikely there is enough time in his career for the two to team up anywhere again.
In a February interview with MAVS TV, Davis described how James offered him his No. 23 jersey, but gestures made towards his younger counterpart early on set the stage for a working relationship that ended after two trips to the Western Conference Finals and one NBA title.
When I got to L.A., [James] wanted to give me the [No.] 23. But I was like, ‘I don’t want to take your number,’” Davis said, per video shared by Nicole Ganglani on X. “Then, that second year, he went to [No.] 6 and he asked me if I wanted [No.] 23. And I was like, ‘I actually want to stay with [No.] 3. I want to go back to where it all started.’
