Anthony Davis credits his wife for motivating him to stay in the 2020 NBA bubble while he was dealing with some personal issues, with the end result being a championship for the Los Angeles Lakers.
“The thing that obviously pushed me more, that took me to another level, mentally, as far as my game…I was going through some personal s—, and I was ’bout to come home,” Davis explained. “And my wife was like, ‘Nah, I got it. … This is your opportunity to go do somethin’ that you always wanted to do.’
“Her birthday, we in the bubble. All this s—. So, she was like, ‘Go get that s— done.’ … She was like, ‘Go get it done.’ And I was like…’It’s no losin’ now. We can’t come home without this f—— ring.'”
Davis won his only NBA championship to date when the Lakers defeated the Miami Heat in the 2020 NBA Finals. The games were played in September and October of that year after the season was disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Los Angeles won each of its first three playoff series in five games, eliminating the Portland Trail Blazers, Houston Rockets and Denver Nuggets before triumphing over the Heat in a six-game series.
Davis led the Lakers in scoring during the playoffs, averaging 27.7 points per game while playing in all 21 games. During the playoff run, his 9.7 rebounds per contest were second on the team to LeBron James, who was named NBA Finals MVP.
During the 2019-20 regular season, Davis averaged 26.1 points, 9.3 rebounds and 2.3 blocks per game in 62 appearances.
The Lakers have not been back to the NBA Finals since then. They did reach the 2023 Western Conference Finals but were swept by the eventual NBA champion Nuggets.
Davis and his teammates are trying to get back there again but are having a somewhat difficult time finding their footing this season. They are currently 28-26, which has them in ninth place in the West.
Back in early December, the Lakers did manage to win the NBA Cup as the champions of the league’s first In-Season Tournament.
The 30-year-old Davis is having an excellent season in the 2023-24 campaign. He is averaging 24.7 points, 12.1 rebounds and 2.4 blocks per game. Perhaps even more importantly, he has been able to play in 50 of 54 games so far.
The Lakers did not make a move prior to the NBA trade deadline on Thursday. But with Davis and James leading the way with excellent play to date, they would seem to have a legitimate chance to make the playoffs and emerge as contenders for another championship.
