Anthony Davis on Why Chicago Is 'Mecca of Basketball,' Talks Playing for Bulls
Anthony Davis is starring in Los Angeles as a member of the Lakers, but he still has plenty of pride for his hometown of Chicago.
"It is," Davis told reporters Monday when describing the Windy City as the mecca of basketball. "We've got the best basketball players ever. You look at the history with all the guys we've got that made the league and even the guys that didn't make the league. They say New York, but it's not even close."
While fans may still associate Chicago basketball with Michael Jordan from his time winning six championships and five league MVPs with the Bulls, plenty of current and recent players in the Association are actually from the city, while His Airness was not.
In addition to Davis, Dwyane Wade, Derrick Rose, Patrick Beverley, Tony Allen, Evan Turner and Jabari Parker are among the players who were born in Chicago. That list expands to Isiah Thomas, Tim Hardaway, Antoine Walker, Juwan Howard, Kendall Gill, Nick Anderson, Hersey Hawkins, Doc Rivers, Terry Cummings, Mark Aguirre and Mo Cheeks, among others, when looking back through history.
Davis appears well on his way to giving Chicago another Hall of Famer one day. The 26-year-old is arguably the best big man in the league and is averaging a career-high 28.5 points, 11.5 rebounds and 3.0 blocks across his first six games with the Lakers.
Upon hearing Davis talk so fondly about his hometown, Bulls fans might envision him in Chicago red at some point. After all, he could decline his 2020-21 player option to test unrestricted free agency next summer.
He has previously said that he would "definitely consider it" if he had the opportunity to play for the Bulls later in his career, per K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune, and didn't exactly shut the idea down while addressing a crowd on Monday:
For now, he is competing for a championship in Los Angeles alongside LeBron James. Bulls fans will have to cheer for him as a representative of their city, not their team.
