The Los Angeles Lakers have two of the best players in the game today in LeBron James and Anthony Davis.
When pressed to answer the question of who the best player on the Lakers is, however, Davis had to pause for a while before he gave his answer.
While Davis believes he’s at or near the top of that conversation, he ultimately gave up the distinction to his teammate who has won four MVPs so far.
“I think I’m up there,” Davis said with a laugh during an interview with ESPN’s Dave McMenamin. “I see the things that this guy, LeBron, does. What is he 35? 35, year 17, it’s unreal. And every time I mess with him like, ‘Man, you’re getting old, man.’”
Davis then shared a story about James’ conversation with him regarding a dunk that the latter pulled off recently that was eerily similar to a Kobe Bryant dunk. It was a highlight reel-worthy reverse dunk on a fast break which has since gone viral.
James apparently reminded Davis afterward that he wasn’t that old yet.
“We joke about it, but the things he does in year 17 at 35 still amazes me,” Davis added. “So I’ll give it to him right now.”
James’ season averages appear to support Davis’ claim, but their stats show that they are equally important to the Lakers’ cause.
Though James’ 24.8 points per game average this season is his lowest since his rookie year, his 10.7 assists per contest leads the entire NBA. He is also adding 7.7 rebounds and 1.3 steals a night.
Not only is James defying Father Time with incredible performances on a nightly basis this year, but he is also breaking records along the way. He passed Kobe Bryant for third place on the all-time scoring list last month.
On the other hand, Davis is also performing at a high level, leading the Purple and Gold in points (26.5), rebounds (9.2) and blocks (2.4) per game in his eighth year in the league.
Led by both James and Davis, the Lakers currently have the best record in the Western Conference at 40-12, which is second-best in the entire league behind the Milwaukee Bucks (46-7).
