It’s no secret LeBron James has loved playing with Anthony Davis and takes every opportunity to pump up the big man. What we’ve seen in recent weeks though is just how closely James had followed Davis’ career prior to when the Lakers traded for him, and the detail with which James has analyzed his teammate.
Speaking with reporters on an off day between NBA Finals games on Thursday, James praised Davis’ championship one-and-done season at Kentucky with great depth, particularly the thrill of a big block Davis had on North Carolina center John Henson during early non-conference play in 2011.
LeBron James just detailed how Anthony Davis blocked John Henson’s game-winning jumper from a Kentucky-North Carolina game – that game was played on Dec 3, 2011.
— Dan Woike (@DanWoikeSports) October 8, 2020
“You look at his run throughout that March Madness, and he was just beyond the best player in college basketball,” James added. “Then you get into 2012 (at the London Olympics) when he’s a young Anthony Davis and he soaked up everything. He was not a rookie that came in and thought he knew it all or felt like he was National Player of the Year, national champion.”
"You just look at his run throughout that whole March Madness, he was just beyond the best player in college basketball."@KingJames has seen something special in @AntDavis23 since his @KentuckyMBB days. pic.twitter.com/LlNG3bZQ22
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) October 8, 2020
With all due respect to Chris Bosh, James has never played with a big man quite as gifted as Davis, or a player who impacts the game on both sides of the ball to such an incredible degree. These playoffs have been a superstar breakout performance by Davis, and James seems to be having just as much fun watching it as the rest of us.
