Lakers' Anthony Davis Says He Has an 'I-Don't-Give-a-F--kness' Attitude on Criticism

Anthony Davis saved his finest performance of the season for Saturday night, putting up 41 points and 20 rebounds in the Los Angeles Lakers' 123-109 NBA Play-In Tournament final win over the Indiana Pacers.

The game was a long time coming for Davis, who has been inconsistent throughout the first quarter of the 2023-24 season. Davis said after the game his Lakers teammates have helped him learn to deal with criticism and maintain a positive outlook.

"The 'I-don't-give-a-f---ness?' Yes. I have," Davis told ESPN's Dave McMenamin. "And I don't [care]. As long as my team is winning and I'm with my guys in the locker room, that's all I care about. Anybody else's opinions don't matter to me. I genuinely mean that. I don't care."

Davis has taken a fair share of flak in recent seasons for his inability to stay healthy and seeming unwillingness to take over for LeBron James as the Lakers' best player. Even amid an outstanding performance against the Pacers, it was James who walked away with the IST MVP.

James said their cohesion behind the scenes has allowed both stars to sacrifice their egos.

"I know who I am, he knows who he is," James said. "So, there's no friction. We're not trying to compete with one another on the court or on a lifestyle basis. He knows who he is, I know who I am.

"The only thing we're trying to do is hold each other accountable when we get to work and try to be the best we can be for each other, and when one is not going well, try to pick each other up. There's no jealousy. There's not a jealous bone in our bodies. We're never jealous of one another. Ever."

The Lakers' IST run has propelled them to a 14-9 record overall, good for fifth place in a wide-open Western Conference. The Minnesota Timberwolves lead the conference at 17-4, but seeds Nos. 2-10 are currently separated by just three games.

The Lakers will need Davis to show up and show out more often like he did Saturday night if they hope to finish the regular season near the top of the conference and in the homecourt advantage conversation.