Lakers' LeBron James Talked to Anthony Davis on Handling Return to New Orleans
Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James said he's spoken with teammate Anthony Davis about how to handle going on the road to face a former team for the first time ahead of the Lakers' clash with the New Orleans Pelicans on Wednesday night.
Davis spent the first seven years of his career in New Orleans, but he quickly became an outcast after his trade request went public ahead of last season's trade deadline. He was dealt to the Lakers in July.
"I talked to him," James told reporters. "Because I know what it's like going into a situation where you would call home for seven years. ... He's a kid when he got there, and he became a man along that seven-year journey, so it's just going be a different situation for him personally."
Davis told Shams Charania of Stadium and The Athletic he rarely gets nervous before games anymore, but he expects there will be jitters Wednesday:
James explained those feelings will quickly evaporate once the game gets underway.
"The greatest thing is when you finally get on the floor and that ball tips up," he said. "There's nothing but strictly basketball, and everything else doesn't matter at that point."
The nature of Davis' exit from NOLA, which included a $50,000 fine from the NBA for a public trade request, almost guarantees he'll get booed every time he touches the ball in his return to the Smoothie King Center.
In the big picture, however, it's a trade that could work out well for both sides.
The Lakers received their second franchise cornerstone to pair with James and have responded with a terrific 15-2 start that's firmly established them as a top-tier championship contender this season.
Meanwhile, the Pelicans got three solid young players in Lonzo Ball, Brandon Ingram and Josh Hart and a trio of first-round draft picks to pair with the No. 1 overall selection it already owned in the 2019 draft, which was used to select Zion Williamson out of Duke.
Williamson has yet to play during the regular season while recovering from knee surgery, which is a major reason for the team's 6-11 record, but the foundation is being laid for long-term success in New Orleans.
That promising outlook will be secondary Wednesday night as Pelicans fans get a high-profile chance to show their feelings toward Davis on a national stage. The game will air on ESPN at 9:30 p.m. ET.
