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Anthony Marshon Davis Jr. (born March 11, 1993) is an American professional
basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...
player for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He plays the power forward and
center Center or centre may refer to: Mathematics *Center (geometry), the middle of an object * Center (algebra), used in various contexts ** Center (group theory) ** Center (ring theory) * Graph center, the set of all vertices of minimum eccentricity ...
positions. Davis is an eight-time
NBA All-Star The National Basketball Association (NBA) All-Star Game is an annual exhibition basketball game. It is the main event of the NBA All-Star Weekend. Originally, the All-Star Game featured a conference-based format, featuring a team composed of a ...
and has been named to four
All-NBA First Team The All-NBA Team is an annual National Basketball Association (NBA) honor bestowed on the best players in the league following every NBA season. The voting is conducted by a global panel of sportswriters and broadcasters. The team has been sele ...
s and four
NBA All-Defensive Team The NBA All-Defensive Team is an annual National Basketball Association (NBA) honor given since the 1968–69 NBA season to the best defensive players during the regular season. The All-Defensive Team is generally composed of ten players in two ...
s. In his first season with the Lakers, he won an
NBA championship The NBA Finals is the annual championship series of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The Eastern and Western Conference champions play a best-of-seven game series to determine the league champion. The team that wins the series is awa ...
in 2020. In 2021, he was named to the NBA 75th Anniversary Team. Davis is regarded as one of the greatest power forwards of all time. Davis played one season of
college basketball In United States colleges, top-tier basketball is governed by collegiate athletic bodies including National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), the United States Collegiate Athle ...
for the University of Kentucky, when he was first team All-American and the Consensus National Player of the Year. He also won the USBWA National Freshman of the Year,
NABC Defensive Player of the Year The NABC Defensive Player of the Year is an award given annually by the National Association of Basketball Coaches to recognize the top defensive player in United States college basketball. The award has been given since 1987 and was previously kn ...
and the
Pete Newell Big Man Award The Pete Newell Big Man Award has been awarded by the National Association of Basketball Coaches since 2000. It is presented to the top low-post player each season. The award is named after Pete Newell, the coach who ran the Pete Newell Big Man C ...
. Davis led the NCAA in blocks and set Southeastern Conference and NCAA Division I freshman single-season
blocked shot In basketball, a block or blocked shot occurs when a defensive player legally deflects a field goal attempt from an offensive player to prevent a score. The defender is not allowed to make contact with the offensive player's hand (unless the de ...
s records. He led Kentucky to a national championship and was named the most outstanding player of the
2012 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament The 2012 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament was a single-elimination tournament involving 68 schools playing to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball. The 74th edition of the tournament began on Marc ...
. Davis left college for the NBA after one season and was drafted as the first overall pick in the
2012 NBA draft The 2012 NBA draft was held on June 28, 2012, at Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. The draft started at 7:00 pm Eastern Daylight Time (2300 UTC), and was broadcast in the United States on ESPN. In this draft, National Basketball A ...
by the
New Orleans Pelicans The New Orleans Pelicans are an American professional basketball team based in New Orleans. The Pelicans compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Southwest Division and play their hom ...
, known then as the New Orleans Hornets, and was selected that summer to play in the 2012 Olympics. After his rookie season, he was named to the
NBA All-Rookie First Team The NBA All-Rookie Team is an annual National Basketball Association (NBA) honor given since the 1962–63 NBA season to the top rookies during the regular season. Voting is conducted by the NBA head coaches who are not allowed to vote for player ...
. The next season, he became an All-Star for the first time and led the NBA in blocked shots per game. He has since become the youngest player to score at least 59 points in an NBA game. In 2017, he was named the recipient of the
NBA All-Star Game MVP The NBA All-Star Game Kobe Bryant Most Valuable Player (MVP) is an annual National Basketball Association (NBA) award given to the player(s) voted best of the annual All-Star Game. The award was established in 1953 when NBA officials decided to de ...
Award after setting an All-Star Game scoring record of 52 points. Davis was traded to the Lakers in 2019. He has won gold medals with the United States national team on their 2012 Olympic team and 2014 World Cup team, making him the first player in basketball history to win an NCAA title, NBA title, Olympic Gold Medal, and FIBA World Cup.


High school career

Born in Chicago, Davis grew up in the South Side and played high school basketball for
Perspectives Charter School Perspectives Charter Schools is a charter school network in Chicago, Illinois. The organization was founded by Kim Day and Diana Shulla-Cose, two teachers at Chicago's Dyett Middle School. In 1993, Day and Shulla-Cose established their own small sc ...
, where he had attended school since sixth grade. The team plays in the Blue Division of the Chicago Public High School League, which is ignored by the media because of its lower level of competition. Perspectives is a
charter school A charter school is a school that receives government funding but operates independently of the established state school system in which it is located. It is independent in the sense that it operates according to the basic principle of autono ...
that operates as a math and science academy; it has a strong academic reputation, but minimal athletic success. The school had no gymnasium and Davis' middle school basketball teams practiced at the nearby Second Presbyterian Church in Chicago's historic South Loop District. In junior high school, he was known as "the little guy who would shoot
threes ''Threes'' (stylized as ''Threes!'') is a puzzle video game by Sirvo, an independent development team consisting of game designer Asher Vollmer, illustrator Greg Wohlwend, and composer Jimmy Hinson. The game was released on February 6, 2014, f ...
from the corner". He ended his freshman year at a height of . By the beginning of his sophomore year, he had grown another , and he finished the year at . Davis began his junior basketball season at , saying he felt fortunate to have had such a rapid
growth spurt Human height or stature is the distance from the bottom of the feet to the top of the head in a human body, standing erect. It is measured using a stadiometer, in centimetres when using the metric system or SI system, or feet and inches when ...
without any knee pains. During his junior year, his family considered having him transfer to one of Chicago's basketball powerhouses, but
Hyde Park Career Academy Hyde Park Academy High School (formerly known as Hyde Park High School and Hyde Park Career Academy) is a public 4–year high school located in the Woodlawn neighborhood on the south side of Chicago, Illinois, United States. Opened in 1863, H ...
head coach Donnie Kirksey advised against it, saying "If you're good enough, they'll find you wherever you are". Perspectives finished the season 8–15. Although he remained unnoticed nationally and locally after three seasons of Chicago Public League play, he was soon thereafter rated as the number one player in the class of 2011 by
Scout.com Scout Media is an integrated sports publishing company that produces Internet content covering hundreds of professional and college teams across America. The company was founded in 2001 and was acquired by Fox Sports in 2005. In 2013, Fox Sports ...
and was listed in the ESPNU 100. Attention came when he started playing on
Tai Streets Tai Lamar Streets (born April 20, 1977) is a former professional American football wide receiver in the National Football League (NFL). He was selected with the second pick of the sixth round of the 1999 NFL Draft by the San Francisco 49ers. He ...
' Meanstreets (AAU team) traveling system in the spring of his junior year. In late April, Syracuse University offered him a scholarship. That spring, NBA Top 100 Camp Director Dave Telep invited him to the camp based on his dominant first half performance of the first game of the
Fort Wayne, Indiana Fort Wayne is a city in and the county seat of Allen County, Indiana, United States. Located in northeastern Indiana, the city is west of the Ohio border and south of the Michigan border. The city's population was 263,886 as of the 2020 Censu ...
Spiece Fieldhouse event. In August 2010, Davis played in the Nike Global Challenge in
Hillsboro, Oregon Hillsboro ( ) is the fifth-largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon and is the county seat of Washington County. Situated in the Tualatin Valley on the west side of the Portland metropolitan area, the city hosts many high-technology companies, ...
. In the opening game, he had 23 points and 9 rebounds. Davis verbally committed to Kentucky on August 13, 2010, choosing it over DePaul,
Ohio State The Ohio State University, commonly called Ohio State or OSU, is a public land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio. A member of the University System of Ohio, it has been ranked by major institutional rankings among the best public ...
, and
Syracuse Syracuse may refer to: Places Italy *Syracuse, Sicily, or spelled as ''Siracusa'' *Province of Syracuse United States *Syracuse, New York **East Syracuse, New York **North Syracuse, New York * Syracuse, Indiana * Syracuse, Kansas * Syracuse, Mi ...
. On August 24, 2010, he became the number one rated player in the national class of 2011 at
Scout.com Scout Media is an integrated sports publishing company that produces Internet content covering hundreds of professional and college teams across America. The company was founded in 2001 and was acquired by Fox Sports in 2005. In 2013, Fox Sports ...
. Before Davis committed to Kentucky, the ''
Chicago Sun-Times The ''Chicago Sun-Times'' is a daily newspaper published in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Since 2022, it is the flagship paper of Chicago Public Media, and has the second largest circulation among Chicago newspapers, after the '' Chicag ...
'' reported that his father had asked Kentucky for $200,000 in exchange for a commitment from Davis. The report was initially released on Wednesday August 4, 2010 by ''Sun-Times'' reporter Michael O'Brien. Citing "a reliable source", he posted the following text: "Rumors/sources that have Davis choosing Kentucky are also alleging that the commitment cost $200,000." The sentence was later edited to say "rumors that Davis' commitment is for sale have surfaced since he cut his list of schools down about a month ago." The sentence was removed later that day from the ''Sun-Times''' high school sports website following a threat from a University of Kentucky lawyer. Anthony Davis Sr. declined to speak to the '' Chicago Tribune'' on August 4 regarding the allegation; on July 30, however, he denied the allegations to the ''Sun-Times'', stating, "We haven't asked anyone for anything, and no one has offered us anything". The article was reposted on the ''Sun-Times''' website and included in the print edition on Friday August 6. O'Brien wrote "sources from three separate universities told the Sun-Times that Davis Sr. asked for money in return for his son's commitment, with the amounts ranging from $125,000 to $150,000." The University of Kentucky and the Davis family both threatened to sue the ''Sun-Times'' over the article, however, no lawsuits were filed by Kentucky or the Davis family. The Davises and Kentucky claim the restated publication was false. Illinois' one-year statute of limitations on libel cases expired before any lawsuits were filed. Davis signed his
National Letter of Intent National may refer to: Common uses * Nation or country ** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen Places in the United States * National, Maryland, c ...
on November 10, 2010. He began his senior season on the ''Chicago Sun-Times'' area 2010 Top 50 list. He was a pre-season first team all-state selection by the ''Sun-Times''. By that time, he stood at . His team's game against
Whitney M. Young Magnet High School Whitney M. Young Magnet High School (locally known simply as Whitney Young) is a public magnet high school and middle school located in the Near West Side neighborhood in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Whitney Young is operated by the Chicag ...
was nationally televised on ESPNU. Perspectives finished the season with a 6–19 record. Despite his growth, Davis continued to perform aspects of the role of a guard during the season by bringing the ball up the court and shooting outside shots. For the season, he averaged 32 points, 22 rebounds and 7 blocks. In high school, Davis earned numerous honors for his basketball abilities, including being named to the 2011 McDonald's All-American Game and the 10th annual Jordan Brand Classic. He was a first team
USA Today All-USA high school basketball team Each year, ''USA Today'', an American newspaper, awards outstanding high school basketball players with a place on its male and female All-USA high school basketball teams. The newspaper names athletes whom it believes to be the best basketball pl ...
selection. He was a first-team ''Parade'' All-American. He was also a first team All-American selection by ''SLAM Magazine'' (along with Gilchrist, Rivers, Beal,
Quincy Miller Quincy Cortez Miller (born November 18, 1992) is an American professional basketball player for SeaHorses Mikawa of the Japanese B.League. He played for the Detroit Pistons, Sacramento Kings and Denver Nuggets of the National Basketball Associ ...
and
Marquis Teague Marquis Devante Teague (born February 28, 1993) is an American professional basketball player for Kolossos Rodou of the Greek Basket League. He was one of the top-rated high school basketball players in the class of 2011. High school career In ...
) and ''
Dime Magazine ''Dime Magazine'' is an American basketball magazine that was created by Patrick Cassidy and began circulation in 2001. The magazine publishes six issues a year for its worldwide readership, as well as a handful of editions of ''Dime China'', a Ch ...
'' (along with Gilchrist, Rivers, Beal and Myles Mack). He was a first team selection to the ESPN Rise boys' high school basketball All-American team. In the statewide voting for
Illinois Mr. Basketball The Illinois Mr. Basketball award is given to the person chosen as the best high school boys basketball player in the U.S. state of Illinois. Most of the award winners have gone on to play at the highest levels of college basketball, and many have ...
by coaches and media, he placed fourth. The ''Chicago Sun-Times'' selected him as a Class 3A first team All-State selection. The ''Chicago Sun-Times'' selected him as an all-Public League selection. The Illinois Basketball Coaches Association included him in the Class 3A/4A boys all-state first team. In the March 30, 2011 McDonald's All-American Game, in front of a hometown crowd at the United Center, Davis made his first five
field goals A field goal (FG) is a means of scoring in gridiron football. To score a field goal, the team in possession of the ball must place kick, or drop kick, the ball through the goal, i.e., between the uprights and over the crossbar. The entire bal ...
on his way to a 14-point, 6-rebound, 2-steal and 4-block performance. In the April 9 Nike Hoops Summit, Davis led the
USA Basketball USA Basketball (USAB) is a non-profit organization and the governing body for basketball in the United States. The organization represents the United States in FIBA and the men's and women's national basketball teams in the United States Oly ...
team to a 92–80 victory over the world team with a team-high 10 rebounds to go with 16 points and two blocks. He was named co-MVP of the April 16 Jordan Brand Classic game after posting 29 points (on 13-for-15 shooting), 11 rebounds and four blocks in a losing effort. Davis' 29 points was the second-highest point total in the first 10 years of the Jordan Brand Classic, following only LeBron James' 34-point performance.


College career

Davis committed to the Kentucky Wildcats, coached by
John Calipari John Vincent Calipari (born February 10, 1959) is an American basketball coach. Since 2009, he has been the head coach of the University of Kentucky men's team, with whom he won the NCAA Championship in 2012. He has been named Naismith College C ...
. Before his college career began, he was being mentioned as the first overall selection in the
2012 NBA draft The 2012 NBA draft was held on June 28, 2012, at Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. The draft started at 7:00 pm Eastern Daylight Time (2300 UTC), and was broadcast in the United States on ESPN. In this draft, National Basketball A ...
. In late February
Dick Vitale Richard John Vitale (; born June 9, 1939), also known as "Dickie V", is an American basketball sportscaster. A former head coach in the college and professional ranks, he is well known for his 41-year tenure as a college basketball broadcaster f ...
mentioned the possibility that Davis might complete the men's college basketball awards Grand Slam of
National Player of the Year National may refer to: Common uses * Nation or country ** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen Places in the United States * National, Maryland, c ...
, Defensive Player of the Year, Freshman of the Year and the No. 1 overall pick in the upcoming draft." During the exhibition portion of the season for the 2011–12 Wildcats, Calipari described Davis as follows: "He's 6–10 with a 7–3 wingspan and he can shoot the 3 and dribble the ball and lead the break. . ." Less than a month into the season,
ESPN ESPN (originally an initialism for Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by ESPN Inc., owned jointly by The Walt Disney Company (80%) and Hearst Communications (20%). The co ...
's
Andy Katz Andrew D. Katz (born April 7, 1968) is a college basketball analyst for the Big Ten Network and a college basketball correspondent for the NCAA. He formerly worked as a senior college basketball journalist for ESPN.com, and was a regular spo ...
described him similarly: "Davis offers a multitude of skills for the Wildcats with his ability to block shots, run the floor, score in the low post and face up to the basket." Since Calipari had coached
Marcus Camby Marcus, Markus, Márkus or Mărcuș may refer to: * Marcus (name), a masculine given name * Marcus (praenomen), a Roman personal name Places * Marcus, a main belt asteroid, also known as (369088) Marcus 2008 GG44 * Mărcuş, a village in Dobârl ...
, who was also a tall shot-blocker, Davis drew comparisons to Camby. ESPN selected Davis as a preseason All-American along with teammate
Terrence Jones Terrence Alexander Jones (born January 9, 1992) is an American professional basketball player for the Kaohsiung Steelers of the Taiwanese P. League+. He played college basketball for the Kentucky Wildcats. High school career Jones was ranked ...
. Some sources, such as ''Blue Ribbon'', selected Connecticut's
Andre Drummond Andre Jamal Drummond (born August 10, 1993) is an American professional basketball player for the Chicago Bulls of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He was selected by the Detroit Pistons in the first round of the 2012 NBA draft with t ...
as the preseason Freshman/Newcomer of the Year ahead of Davis, although Davis was the only freshman on the ESPN 10-man preseason team. Davis only received one vote for the Associated Press preseason All-America team. After most of the pre-conference schedule but before the 2011–12 Southeastern Conference men's basketball schedule, Davis' teammate, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist was mentioned as a possible
Southeastern Conference Men's Basketball Player of the Year The Southeastern Conference Men's Basketball Player of the Year is an award given to the player who has proven himself, throughout the season, to be the most exceptional talent in the Southeastern Conference (SEC). The school with the most SEC Play ...
. However, after less than a month of Southeastern Conference play, Davis was not only being mentioned as conference player of the year, but also National Player of the Year. By mid February, he was considered a National Player of the Year front-runner with his primary competition coming from Thomas Robinson of Kansas. As the season progressed, he continued to battle Robinson while developing a college level offensive game. Davis averaged a double double and 6.5 blocks in the two games (November 15, 2011 and April 2, 2012) they played against each other, both on neutral courts. Davis led the Wildcats to a perfect 16–0 record in conference play ''en route'' to the SEC conference regular season championship. Davis finished the year with averages of 14.2 points per game, 10.4 rebounds per game, 4.7 blocks per game and a
field goal percentage Field goal percentage in basketball is the ratio of field goals made to field goals attempted. Its abbreviation is FG%. Although three-point field goal percentage is often calculated separately, three-point field goals are included in the genera ...
of 62.3%. The Wildcats entered the SEC Tournament as heavy favorites and defeated
LSU Louisiana State University (officially Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, commonly referred to as LSU) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Baton Rouge, Louisian ...
and Florida before losing to the
Vanderbilt Commodores The Vanderbilt Commodores are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent Vanderbilt University, located in Nashville, Tennessee. Vanderbilt fields 16 varsity teams (6 men's teams and 10 women's teams), 14 of which compete at the Nation ...
in the championship game. Despite the loss, the Wildcats earned the number one overall seed in the
2012 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament The 2012 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament was a single-elimination tournament involving 68 schools playing to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball. The 74th edition of the tournament began on Marc ...
. In the Wildcats' six NCAA Tournament games, Davis averaged 15.2 points, 11.2 rebounds, and 4.6 blocks per game, and led the team to its eighth NCAA championship.


Honors and awards


National

Davis was named the 2012 ''Sporting News'' Men's College Basketball Player of the Year. On March 19, he won the US Basketball Writers Association's (USBWA) Robertson trophy. The Commonwealth Athletic Club of Kentucky named Davis the
Adolph Rupp Trophy The Adolph F. Rupp Trophy was an award given annually to the top player in men's Division I NCAA basketball until 2015. The recipient of the award was selected by an independent panel consisting of national sportswriters, coaches, and sports admi ...
winner on March 22.
CBSSports.com CBSSports.com (formerly CBS SportsLine.com and SportsLine USA) is an American sports news website operated by Paramount Streaming, itself a division of Paramount Global. It is the website for CBS's CBS Sports division that features news, high ...
recognized Davis as their national player of the year. On March 30, he became the second freshman (
Kevin Durant Kevin Wayne Durant ( ; born September 29, 1988), also known by his initials KD, is an American professional basketball player for the Brooklyn Nets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played one season of college basketball for t ...
) to win the
Associated Press College Basketball Player of the Year The Associated Press College Basketball Player of the Year award was established in 1961 to recognize the best men's college basketball player of the year, as voted upon by the Associated Press (AP). The only three-time winner is Ralph Sampson o ...
. On March 31, he won the
John R. Wooden Award The John R. Wooden Award is an award given annually to the most outstanding men's and women's college basketball players. The program consists of the men's and women's Player of the Year awards, the Legends of Coaching award, and recognizing the ...
. The following day he won the Naismith College Player of the Year. He was Kentucky's first Naismith winner and the first from the SEC in 42 years ( Pete Maravich). Davis was named to the 2012 '' Sporting News'' All-American first team. He was also named first team All-American by the
United States Basketball Writers Association The United States Basketball Writers Association (USBWA) was founded in 1956 by National Collegiate Athletic Association director Walter Byers to serve the interests of journalists who cover college basketball. Scholarships The USBWA annually awar ...
. On March 20, the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) chose him as a first team All-American. Davis was a CBSSports.com first team All-American. Davis was named a first team Associated Press All-American, making him a unanimous first team All-American selection. During the 2012 NCAA Tournament, Davis was selected to the NCAA South Regional All-Tournament Team. Then, in the 2012 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament final four, he posted 18 points, 14 rebounds and 5 blocks against
Louisville Louisville ( , , ) is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky and the 28th most-populous city in the United States. Louisville is the historical seat and, since 2003, the nominal seat of Jefferson County, on the Indiana border. ...
. In the championship game, he had 16 rebounds, 6 blocks, 5 assists, 3 steals and 6 points against Kansas. He won the NCAA basketball tournament Most Outstanding Player and was selected to that All-Tournament team. He was the fourth freshman to win the Most Outstanding Player award. Davis was named the USBWA National Freshman of the Year. He was selected by the USBWA as the Player of the Year for its 10-man 2011–12 Men's All-District IV (Kentucky, Tennessee, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, Florida) Team. Davis was a first team selection to the NABC Division I All‐District 21 team on March 14. On April 1, he was also awarded the
Pete Newell Big Man Award The Pete Newell Big Man Award has been awarded by the National Association of Basketball Coaches since 2000. It is presented to the top low-post player each season. The award is named after Pete Newell, the coach who ran the Pete Newell Big Man C ...
and the
NABC Defensive Player of the Year The NABC Defensive Player of the Year is an award given annually by the National Association of Basketball Coaches to recognize the top defensive player in United States college basketball. The award has been given since 1987 and was previously kn ...
.
CollegeInsider.com Collegeinsider.com is a sports website based in Boston that is noted particularly for its basketball polls, awards and sponsored tournament. The website was founded by Joe Dwyer and Angela Lento and traces it history to 1995 as regional basketball ...
recognized him with the
Lefty Driesell Award The Lefty Driesell Defensive Player of the Year Award is an award given annually to the most outstanding men's college basketball defender in NCAA Division I competition. The award was established in 2010 and is named for head coach Lefty Driese ...
as Defensive Player of the Year and the Kyle Macy Award as Freshman of the Year.


Conference

Davis twice earned SEC Player of the Week (POTW) honors (Week of February 6 and 27, 2012) and four times, when he was not Player of the Week, he earned SEC Freshman of the Week (FOTW) honors (November 14, 2011, February 1, 2012, January 16, 2012, and May 3, 2012). He earned his first FOTW honor for debuting with a double double, including 23 points, 10 rebounds, 5 blocks and 3 assists against Marist on November 11, 2011. Only Jones and
Sam Bowie Samuel Paul Bowie (born March 17, 1961) is an American former professional basketball player. A national sensation in high school and outstanding collegian and Olympic team member, Bowie's professional promise was undermined by repeated injuries ...
had previously had 20 or more points and 10 or more rebounds in their Kentucky Freshman debut. His second FOTW came in a week in which he averaged 14.0 points, 11.5 rebounds, six blocks, 1.5 steals and 1 assist in wins over Lamar and fourth-rated
Louisville Louisville ( , , ) is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky and the 28th most-populous city in the United States. Louisville is the historical seat and, since 2003, the nominal seat of Jefferson County, on the Indiana border. ...
. His third FOTW award came when he averaged 16 points, 7 rebounds, 4 blocks, 2.5 steals and 2 assists in wins at Auburn and at Tennessee where both his point totals were game highs. He earned his fourth FOTW when he averaged 15.5 points, 10 rebounds and 4 blocks in wins over
Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...
and at Florida. He earned his first POTW recognition for averaging 20 points, eight rebounds, 7.5 blocks and 2 assists in wins over Tennessee and at South Carolina. For Davis' second POTW he posted a pair of double doubles to average 20.5 points, 11 rebounds, 3.5 blocks and two steals in wins at
Mississippi State Mississippi State University for Agriculture and Applied Science, commonly known as Mississippi State University (MSU), is a Public university, public land-grant university, land-grant research university adjacent to Starkville, Mississippi. It ...
and over Vanderbilt. The February 25 win against Vanderbilt clinched the 2011–12 SEC championship for Kentucky as Davis tallied a career-high 28 points as well as 11 rebounds and 5 blocked shots.
ESPN ESPN (originally an initialism for Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by ESPN Inc., owned jointly by The Walt Disney Company (80%) and Hearst Communications (20%). The co ...
's
Andy Katz Andrew D. Katz (born April 7, 1968) is a college basketball analyst for the Big Ten Network and a college basketball correspondent for the NCAA. He formerly worked as a senior college basketball journalist for ESPN.com, and was a regular spo ...
described his SEC title-clinching performance as the most complete performance of his career. He was also selected as the
SEC Player of the Year Southeastern Conference Player of the Year refers to the most outstanding player for the Southeastern Conference (SEC) in a given sport for a given season. For lists of individual sport SEC Players of the Year by year: *Southeastern Conference Bas ...
, SEC Freshman of the Year, SEC Defensive Player of the Year and a first team All-SEC honoree. The SEC awards were selected by the league's 12 coaches who were not permitted to vote for their own players. Thus, no awards were unanimous. ''Sporting News'' also selected him as Freshman and Player of the Year for the SEC. Also, the Associated Press selected him as Player and Newcomer of the Year for the SEC as well as an All-SEC performer. Following the 2012 SEC tournament, he was selected to the SEC All-Tournament Team.


Records

During the
2011–12 NCAA Division I men's basketball season The 2011–12 NCAA Division I men's basketball season began on November 7, 2011 with the (2K Sports Classic) and ended with the 2012 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament's championship game on April 2, 2012 at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome ...
, Davis blocked more shots per game than most Division I men's teams. In the January 17 contest against
Arkansas Arkansas ( ) is a landlocked state in the South Central United States. It is bordered by Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, and Texas and Oklahoma to the west. Its name is from the Osage la ...
, Davis set the Kentucky men's basketball record for single-season blocked shots surpassing
Melvin Turpin Melvin Harrison Turpin (December 28, 1960 – July 8, 2010) was an American professional basketball player. He played five seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He was an All-American college player at the University of Kentucky, ...
and
Andre Riddick Andre Riddick (born February 1, 1973) is a retired American professional basketball player. He is the ULEB Cup's All-Time Leader for rebounds (383), steals (116) and blocks (122) and also has the highest ULEB Cup percentage of blocks (2 blocks p ...
, who each had 83. In the game, he established a career high with 27 points and added 14 rebounds and 5 blocked shots. On February 4, against South Carolina, Davis established the SEC freshman record with 116 blocks surpassing Shaquille O'Neal's total set for
LSU Louisiana State University (officially Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, commonly referred to as LSU) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Baton Rouge, Louisian ...
. One of the most notable blocks of the season was a block of John Henson with four seconds left to preserve a 73–72 victory when number one Kentucky hosted number five North Carolina on December 3. On March 15, Davis established a Kentucky single-game record for the NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament by blocking 7 against Western Kentucky. On March 25, Davis established the SEC single-season blocked shots record in the NCAA Tournament South Regional Championship game victory over Baylor, surpassing
Jarvis Varnado Jarvis Lamar Varnado (born March 1, 1988) is an American professional basketball player for Club Atlético Aguada of the Liga Uruguaya de Básquetbol. Varnado is known as a defensive specialist and is especially adept at shot blocking where he's ...
's total of 169. On March 31, he tied
DeMarcus Cousins DeMarcus Amir Cousins (born August 13, 1990) is an American professional basketball player who last played for the Denver Nuggets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Nicknamed "Boogie", he played college basketball for the Kentucky Wil ...
with 20 double doubles for the Kentucky freshman-season record. He also surpassed Cousins' Kentucky freshman rebounds record of 374 with 415 rebounds. With six blocks in the championship game, he achieved a total of 186 for the season, surpassing
Hassan Whiteside Hassan Niam Whiteside (born June 13, 1989) is an American professional basketball player who last played for the Utah Jazz of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Marshall Thundering Herd before being se ...
's 2010 total of 182, to set an NCAA Division I freshman record. This also tied the NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship Game record for blocks established by
Joakim Noah Joakim Simon Noah ( ; born February 25, 1985) is an American-born French-Swedish former professional basketball player. He played college basketball for the Florida Gators, winning back-to-back NCAA championships in 2006 and 2007. The Chicago B ...
in the
2006 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament The 2006 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament involved 65 teams playing in a single-elimination tournament to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball as a culmination of the 2005–06 basketball seaso ...
. Starting in the championship game gave him a total of 40 starts for the season, which tied Kentucky's single-season record along with teammate
Marquis Teague Marquis Devante Teague (born February 28, 1993) is an American professional basketball player for Kolossos Rodou of the Greek Basket League. He was one of the top-rated high school basketball players in the class of 2011. High school career In ...
.


Professional career


New Orleans Hornets / Pelicans (2012–2019)


Rookie year (2012–2013)

Davis declared for the
2012 NBA draft The 2012 NBA draft was held on June 28, 2012, at Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. The draft started at 7:00 pm Eastern Daylight Time (2300 UTC), and was broadcast in the United States on ESPN. In this draft, National Basketball A ...
alongside the rest of the national championship team starting five: fellow freshmen Kidd-Gilchrist and Teague, and sophomores Jones and
Doron Lamb Doron Emmanuel Calvin Lamb (born November 6, 1991) is an American professional basketball player for Scafati Basket of the Lega Basket Serie A. He played college basketball for the University of Kentucky. High school career Lamb was born in Qu ...
. At the 2012
NBA Draft Combine The NBA Draft Combine is a multi-day showcase that takes place every May before the annual June NBA draft. At the combine, college basketball players are measured and take medical tests, are interviewed, perform various athletic tests and shooting ...
, Davis measured at , and had the second longest wingspan——of any player participating. On June 28, the New Orleans Hornets selected Davis with the first overall pick. Davis became the fifth Chicago-area first overall selection following
Cazzie Russell Cazzie Lee Russell (born June 7, 1944) is an American former professional basketball player and coach. An NBA All-Star, he was selected by the New York Knicks with the first overall pick of the 1966 NBA draft. He won an NBA championship with ...
(1966),
LaRue Martin LaRue Martin (born March 30, 1950) is an American former professional basketball player. Martin was drafted first overall by the National Basketball Association's (NBA) Portland Trail Blazers in the controversy riddled 1972 NBA draft out of Loyola ...
(1972), Mark Aguirre (1981) and
Derrick Rose Derrick Martell Rose (born October 4, 1988) is an American professional basketball player for the New York Knicks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played one year of college basketball for the Memphis Tigers before being drafted ...
(2008). On July 24, 2012, Davis signed a three-year $16 million guaranteed contract with the Hornets as prescribed by the NBA's collective bargaining agreement. On November 1, 2012, Davis made his debut against the San Antonio Spurs. He scored a team high 21 in a losing effort. On November 2, Davis suffered a concussion that sidelined him for 2 and a half games until November 9. In his November 9 return, he posted his first double double with 23 points and 11 rebounds as well as 5 blocks, 2 steals and 2 assists in a victory over the
Charlotte Bobcats Charlotte ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Located in the Piedmont region, it is the county seat of Mecklenburg County. The population was 874,579 at the 2020 census, making Charlotte the 16th-most popu ...
. On November 17, he totaled 28 points and 11 rebounds against the
Milwaukee Bucks The Milwaukee Bucks are an American professional basketball team based in Milwaukee. The Bucks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division. The team was founded in 196 ...
. On November 20, Davis was announced to be out of the lineup for "a stress reaction" on his ankle. He was cleared to play on December 11, 2012 after missing 11 games. On December 18, he posted a career high 4 steals to go along with 15 points and a then career-high 16 rebounds against the Golden State Warriors in his first start since being disabled on November 20. Davis appeared in the February 15, 2013 Rising Stars Challenge during the
2013 NBA All-Star Game The 2013 NBA All-Star Game was an exhibition basketball game that was played on February 17, 2013, during the National Basketball Association's (NBA) 2012–13 season. It was the 62nd edition of the NBA All-Star Game, and was played at Toyota Ce ...
weekend. Davis was removed from the Hornets' lineup on February 27 following a collision with
Brook Lopez Brook Robert Lopez (born April 1, 1988) is an American professional basketball player for the Milwaukee Bucks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played two years of college basketball for the Stanford Cardinal. Lopez was selected ...
the prior night in which he sprained his left shoulder. On March 5, Davis returned to the starting lineup with 17 points, 15 rebounds and 4 blocked shots against the Orlando Magic. On March 9, Davis established a career high in rebounds with 18 to go along with 20 points against the Memphis Grizzlies. On March 20, Davis tipped in the game-winning basket over Kevin Garnett against the Boston Celtics with 0.3 seconds remaining. On April 10, Davis suffered a season-ending left knee
medial collateral ligament The medial collateral ligament (MCL), or tibial collateral ligament (TCL), is one of the four major ligaments of the knee. It is on the medial (inner) side of the knee joint in humans and other primates. Its primary function is to resist outwar ...
sprain and bone bruise. He was injured in a collision with Marcus Thornton of the Sacramento Kings. He was a 2013
NBA All-Rookie First Team The NBA All-Rookie Team is an annual National Basketball Association (NBA) honor given since the 1962–63 NBA season to the top rookies during the regular season. Voting is conducted by the NBA head coaches who are not allowed to vote for player ...
selection, and finished second in
NBA Rookie of the Year The National Basketball Association's Rookie of the Year Award is an annual National Basketball Association (NBA) award given to the top rookie(s) of the regular season. Initiated following the 1952–53 NBA season, it confers the Eddie Gott ...
voting (with 306 points) to Damian Lillard (605). His 20 double-doubles was the most in his rookie class. As a rookie, he proved to be mostly a
pick and roll The pick and roll (also called a ball screen or screen and roll) in basketball is an offensive play in which a player sets a screen (pick) for a teammate handling the ball and then moves toward the basket (rolls) to receive a pass. In the NBA, t ...
threat on offense, but was effective in fast break transition and on the offensive boards. He needed to develop his isolation and post-up skills. His rookie skill set was said to resemble a young
Lamar Odom Lamar Joseph Odom (born November 6, 1979) is an American former professional basketball player. As a member of the Los Angeles Lakers in the National Basketball Association (NBA), he won championships in 2009 and 2010 and was named the NBA Si ...
, but he added over following his rookie season. After the 2012–13 season, the Hornets renamed themselves the Pelicans. Davis donated $65,000 toward the construction of a basketball court at his alma mater, Perspectives. On October 16, 2013, during the preseason of Davis' sophomore year for the 2013–14 New Orleans Pelicans', the Pelicans exercised the team's 3rd-year option on Davis' contract.


First All-Star selection (2013–2014)

Davis began the 2013–14 NBA season with the newly-renamed Pelicans with a pair of double-doubles, posting 20 points and 12 rebounds against Indiana on October 30 and 26 points and 17 rebounds against Orlando on November 1. In the Orlando game, Davis became the youngest player in franchise history to record 25 points and 15 rebounds in a game. In the third game of the season against
Charlotte Charlotte ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Located in the Piedmont region, it is the county seat of Mecklenburg County. The population was 874,579 at the 2020 census, making Charlotte the 16th-most populo ...
on November 2, Davis established career-highs with 6 blocks and 6 steals, while helping New Orleans to its first victory. He also became the first player with 6 blocks, 6 steals and 25 points in a game in the last 20 years and only the fifth with at least 5 blocks, 5 steals and 25 points in that period. For the week, Davis earned an NBA Player of the Week nomination, but lost out to
Kevin Love Kevin Wesley Love (born September 7, 1988) is an American professional basketball player for the Cleveland Cavaliers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He is a five-time All-Star, a two-time member of the All-NBA Second Team and w ...
. On November 8, against the Los Angeles Lakers, Davis scored a career-high 32 points and tied a career high with 6 blocks, along with 12 rebounds, becoming the youngest player ever to have at least 30 points, 10 rebounds and 5 blocks in an NBA game. On November 16, he established a new career high with 8 blocks against Philadelphia. He again had 8 blocks on November 20 against the Utah Jazz. With two 8-block games in the Pelicans' first 11 games of the 2013–14 NBA season, Davis matched the number of 8-block games that
Roy Hibbert Roy Denzil Hibbert (born December 11, 1986) is a Jamaican-American former professional basketball player. He is a two-time NBA All-Star, and earned NBA All-Defensive Second Team honors in 2014. Hibbert was the runner-up for the NBA Defensive Play ...
had at that time in the
2012–13 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment of length 1. I ...
and 2013–14 NBA seasons combined. No other players had two 8-block games as recently. According to ESPN, while drawing a charging foul from
Amar'e Stoudemire Amar'e Carsares Stoudemire ( ; he, אמארה יהושפט סטודמאייר; born November 16, 1982) is an American-Israeli professional basketball coach and former player who most recently served as a player development assistant for the Bro ...
, Davis suffered a non-displaced fracture in his left hand in the first quarter against the New York Knicks on December 1.
Yahoo! Sports Yahoo! Sports is a sports news website launched by Yahoo! on December 8, 1997. It receives a majority of its information from STATS, Inc. It employs numerous writers, and has team pages for teams in almost every North American major sport. Bef ...
claims the injury came on an attempted
alley oop ''Alley Oop'' is a syndicated comic strip created December 5, 1932, by American cartoonist V. T. Hamlin, who wrote and drew the strip through four decades for Newspaper Enterprise Association. Hamlin introduced a cast of colorful characters an ...
. On December 3, the Pelicans announced a 4–6 week layoff was expected. The injury came the night before he was supposed to play in his hometown of Chicago, marking the second year in a row that he was sidelined for his chance to play in his hometown. Davis returned to the lineup on December 18 against the Los Angeles Clippers with 24 points, 12 rebounds and 3 steals. He returned to the starting lineup in the next game with 21 points, 9 rebounds, 2 blocks and a steal against Portland on December 21. He missed 7 games due to the injury. In his seventh consecutive 20-point game (all losses), Davis posted 31 points and 17 rebounds against Golden State. In the subsequent game on January 20, he helped the Pelicans snap an 8-game losing streak with 27 points, 10 rebounds, 4 assists and 4 blocks against Memphis. On January 26, Davis established a new career high with 19 rebounds, in addition to posting 22 points and 7 blocks, in a 100–92 victory over the Orlando Magic. On January 27, Davis was a finalist for Western Conference Player of the Week but lost out to
Kevin Durant Kevin Wayne Durant ( ; born September 29, 1988), also known by his initials KD, is an American professional basketball player for the Brooklyn Nets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played one season of college basketball for t ...
. The January 28 contest against the
Cleveland Cavaliers The Cleveland Cavaliers (often referred to as the Cavs) are an American professional basketball team based in Cleveland. The Cavaliers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Centr ...
featuring the last three first overall NBA draft picks ( Anthony Bennett, Davis, and
Kyrie Irving Kyrie Andrew Irving (; lkt, Ȟéla, italic=no, ; born March 23, 1992) is an American professional basketball player for the Brooklyn Nets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He was named the Rookie of the Year after being selected b ...
), Davis posted 30 points, 8 blocks, 7 rebounds and 3 assists. However, he dislocated his left
index finger The index finger (also referred to as forefinger, first finger, second finger, pointer finger, trigger finger, digitus secundus, digitus II, and many other terms) is the second digit of a human hand. It is located between the thumb and the mid ...
causing him to miss the next game the following night. On January 29, he was named a Rising Stars Challenge participant as part of the
2014 NBA All-Star Game The 2014 NBA All-Star Game was an exhibition basketball game that was played on February 16, 2014, during the National Basketball Association's (NBA) 2013–14 season. It was the 63rd edition of the NBA All-Star Game, and was played at Smoothie ...
weekend. On February 7, he was selected to replace Kobe Bryant in the
2014 NBA All-Star Game The 2014 NBA All-Star Game was an exhibition basketball game that was played on February 16, 2014, during the National Basketball Association's (NBA) 2013–14 season. It was the 63rd edition of the NBA All-Star Game, and was played at Smoothie ...
. On February 26, Davis sprained his left shoulder late in the first half against the Dallas Mavericks. He did not play in the rest of the game, and his subsequent availability was listed as day-to-day. Despite his shoulder sprain, Davis matched his career high with 32 points on February 28 against the Phoenix Suns. He was one of six Western Conference Player of the Week nominees on March 10. On March 14, Davis established a career high with 36 points against Portland. On March 16, 2014, (the very next game) Davis scored a career-high 40 points along with a career-high 21 rebounds in a 121–120 overtime win against the
Boston Celtics The Boston Celtics ( ) are an American professional basketball team based in Boston. The Celtics compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Atlantic Division. Founded in 1946 as one of t ...
. The performance was the first 40-point, 20-rebound effort of the 2013–14 NBA season. Davis was the fourth-youngest player (21 years and 5 days) to achieve 40/20 in a game and the youngest since Shaquille O'Neal in 1993. In addition to his career game, Davis set a New Orleans' franchise record with six straight games of at least 28 points.
Glen Rice Glen Anthony Rice Sr. (born May 28, 1967) is an American former professional basketball player who played in the National Basketball Association (NBA). As a small forward, Rice was a three-time NBA All-Star and made 1,559 three-point field goal ...
set the previous best stretch with five straight in the 1990s. It was also the first 40-point performance by a Pelican/Hornet since David West on February 26, 2010. Davis was again a finalist for NBA Player of the Week on March 17 and 24. In late March, Davis began suffering a series of injuries. On March 28, Davis injured his left ankle, after four minutes of play against the Jazz. He missed the rest of the game and the next one. Davis returned to the lineup on March 31 against
Sacramento ) , image_map = Sacramento County California Incorporated and Unincorporated areas Sacramento Highlighted.svg , mapsize = 250x200px , map_caption = Location within Sacramento ...
. However, on April 2, Davis endured back spasms that caused him to miss the second half against the Nuggets. Davis saw limited minutes on April 4 and missed a game on April 9 due to his back. On April 10, the team announced that Davis would miss the remaining four games. Davis finished the season as the NBA leader in blocked shots per game (2.82). Because of his improved performance this season against his rookie season, Davis finished third in the
NBA Most Improved Player Award The NBA's Most Improved Player Award (MIP) is an annual National Basketball Association (NBA) award given to the player who has shown the most progress during the regular season compared to previous seasons. The winner is selected by a panel of s ...
voting behind
Lance Stephenson Lance Stephenson Jr. (born September 5, 1990) is an American professional basketball player who last played for the Indiana Pacers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He attended Lincoln High School in the Coney Island section of Brook ...
and
Goran Dragić Goran Dragić (born 6 May 1986) is a Slovenian professional basketball player for the Chicago Bulls of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Nicknamed "the Dragon", he had played professional basketball in Slovenia and Spain before entering ...
.


First All-NBA and playoff appearances (2014–2015)

Davis began the
2014–15 NBA season The 2014–15 NBA season was the 69th season of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The NBA draft took place on June 26, 2014, at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, where Andrew Wiggins was selected first overall by the Cleveland Cavaliers. The ...
against the Orlando Magic with one of the best season opening performances of all time: 26 points, 17 rebounds, 9 blocks, 3 steals and 2 assists. It was the first 9-block season opener since
Nate Thurmond Nathaniel Thurmond (July 25, 1941 – July 16, 2016) was an American basketball player who spent the majority of his 14-year career in the National Basketball Association (NBA) with the Golden State Warriors franchise. He played the center and ...
had 12 to open the
1974–75 NBA season The 1974–75 NBA season was the 29th season of the National Basketball Association. The season ended with the Golden State Warriors winning the NBA Championship, sweeping the Washington Bullets 4 games to 0 in the NBA Finals. Notable occurrenc ...
. The performance also marked the first 26-point/17-rebound/9-block/3-steal effort since Hakeem Olajuwon during the 1989–90 NBA season. On November 8, against the San Antonio Spurs, he posted 27 points, 11 rebounds and 6 blocks, including the game-winning basket with 6.6 seconds remaining. It marked the 5th time Davis had 25 points, 10 rebounds and 5 blocks since the beginning of the prior season. No other player has had multiple such games in that time. On November 22, Davis scored a career-high 43 points along with 14 rebounds against the Utah Jazz. He was a finalist for October/November Western Conference Player of the Month. On December 2, Davis fell one assist and one block short of becoming the youngest NBA player to ever record a five-by-five with a 25-point, 10-rebound, 4-assist, 6 -steal, 4-block performance against the Oklahoma City Thunder. Davis entered the December 12, 2014 contest against the
Cleveland Cavaliers The Cleveland Cavaliers (often referred to as the Cavs) are an American professional basketball team based in Cleveland. The Cavaliers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Centr ...
with a
player efficiency rating The player efficiency rating (PER) is John Hollinger's all-in-one basketball rating, which attempts to collect or boil down all of a player's contributions into one number. Using a detailed formula, Hollinger developed a system that rates every pl ...
(PER) of 32.9, which would be the highest in NBA history if maintained for the full season. Davis was injured in the game and left in the first quarter. Davis was sidelined in the subsequent contest. He was a finalist for December Western Conference Player of the Month. On February 6, despite having missed his last 11 three point shots and having a career 2-for-23 three point career record, Davis made a game winning three point
buzzer beater In basketball and other such timed sports, a buzzer beater is a shot that is taken before the game clock of a quarter, a half (if the half is the second one, then, a game), or an overtime period expires but does not go in the basket until after t ...
against Oklahoma City Thunder as part of a 41-point, 10-rebound double-double. The 41-point performance marked a New Orleans record 13th consecutive 20-point performance, surpassing Pete Maravich of the 1976–77 New Orleans Jazz. On February 7, 2015, Davis injured his shoulder after falling off the rim when he received an alley-oop. As a result of the injury, he withdrew from the
2015 NBA All-Star Game The 2015 NBA All-Star Game was an exhibition basketball game that was played on February 15, 2015, during the National Basketball Association's (NBA) 2014–15 season. It was the 64th edition of the NBA All-Star Game, and was played at Madison S ...
, and was replaced on the roster by Dirk Nowitzki and in the starting lineup by LaMarcus Aldridge. Davis missed five games in late February and early March to the shoulder sprain. He returned against the Detroit Pistons with a very dominant game performance of 39 points, 13 rebounds, and 8 blocks, numbers that only Hakeem Olajuwon and
Dwight Howard Dwight David Howard II (born December 8, 1985) is an American professional basketball player for the Taoyuan Leopards of the T1 League. He is an NBA champion, eight-time All-Star, eight-time All-NBA Team honoree, five-time All-Defensive Team m ...
had achieved in a game in the prior 30 years. Davis also reached 437 career blocks, a franchise record. On March 9, Davis tied his career high with 43 points and added 10 rebounds, 2 blocks and a steal in a 114–103 win against the
Milwaukee Bucks The Milwaukee Bucks are an American professional basketball team based in Milwaukee. The Bucks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division. The team was founded in 196 ...
. On March 15 in a double overtime game against the
Denver Nuggets The Denver Nuggets are an American professional basketball team based in Denver. The Nuggets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Northwest Division. The team was founded as the D ...
, Davis became the first player in NBA history to tally 36 points, 14 rebounds, 9 blocks and 7 assists in a game since blocks became a statistic in 1973. Only
David Robinson David Maurice Robinson (born August 6, 1965) is an American former professional basketball player who played for the San Antonio Spurs in the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 1989 to 2003, and minority owner of the Spurs. Nicknamed ...
has had at least 30 points, 11 rebounds, 8 blocks and 7 assists in a game. On March 16, Davis earned Western Conference Player of the Week for games played Monday, March 9, through Sunday, March 15 and was a finalist for Western Conference Player of the Month of March. In the final game of the regular season, a must-win game that would send the Pelicans to the
2015 NBA Playoffs The 2015 NBA playoffs was the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association's 2014–15 season. The tournament concluded with the Western Conference champion Golden State Warriors defeating the Eastern Conference champion Cleve ...
, Davis recorded 31 points, 13 rebounds, and 3 blocks in a 108–103 victory over the defending-champion San Antonio Spurs. The playoff berth was Davis' first and the franchise's first since 2011. Davis' season was one of the most impressive in NBA history, finishing the season averaging 24.4 points, 10.2 rebounds, 2.9 blocks, and leading the league in
player efficiency rating The player efficiency rating (PER) is John Hollinger's all-in-one basketball rating, which attempts to collect or boil down all of a player's contributions into one number. Using a detailed formula, Hollinger developed a system that rates every pl ...
with 30.89. He was a finalist for Western Conference Player of the Month again in April. In his first career playoff series, Davis averaged 31.5 points and 11.0 rebounds, and 3.0 blocks per game. Although swept by the overall number one seeded Golden State Warriors, who went on to win the NBA championship, Davis joined Shaquille O'Neal, Hakeem Olajuwon, and
Karl Malone Karl Anthony Malone (born July 24, 1963) is an American former professional basketball player in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Nicknamed "the Mailman", he is considered one of the greatest power forwards in NBA history. Malone spe ...
as the only players in the past 20 seasons to average 30 points and 10 rebounds in the playoffs. Davis also became the first player in 40 years to average 30 points and 10 rebounds in a player's first playoff series, with the only other players to do so being
Wilt Chamberlain Wilton Norman Chamberlain (; August 21, 1936 – October 12, 1999) was an American professional basketball player who played as a center. Standing at tall, he played in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for 14 years and is widely reg ...
, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and
Bob McAdoo Robert Allen McAdoo Jr. ( ; born September 25, 1951) is an American former professional basketball player and coach. He played 14 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA), where he was a five-time NBA All-Star and named the NBA Most ...
. At the end of the season, Davis finished 4th in the
NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award The NBA's Defensive Player of the Year Award is an annual National Basketball Association (NBA) award given since the 1982–83 NBA season to the best defensive player of the regular season. The winner is selected by a panel of 124 sportswrit ...
voting, 5th in the
NBA Most Valuable Player Award The National Basketball Association Most Valuable Player Award (MVP) is an annual National Basketball Association (NBA) award given since the 1955–56 season to the best performing player of the regular season. Starting with the 2022–23 ...
voting, sixth in the
NBA Most Improved Player Award The NBA's Most Improved Player Award (MIP) is an annual National Basketball Association (NBA) award given to the player who has shown the most progress during the regular season compared to previous seasons. The winner is selected by a panel of s ...
voting. He was selected to the
All-NBA The All-NBA Team is an annual National Basketball Association (NBA) honor bestowed on the best players in the league following every NBA season. The voting is conducted by a global panel of sportswriters and broadcasters. The team has been sele ...
First Team for the first time in his career, becoming the first player to make the first team in his first three seasons since
Derrick Rose Derrick Martell Rose (born October 4, 1988) is an American professional basketball player for the New York Knicks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played one year of college basketball for the Memphis Tigers before being drafted ...
did so in the
2010–11 NBA season The 2010–11 NBA season was the 65th season of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The 2011 NBA All-Star Game was played on February 20, 2011, at Staples Center in Los Angeles. The season concluded with the Dallas Mavericks defeating the M ...
. He was also an
NBA All-Defensive Team The NBA All-Defensive Team is an annual National Basketball Association (NBA) honor given since the 1968–69 NBA season to the best defensive players during the regular season. The All-Defensive Team is generally composed of ten players in two ...
second team selection.


Season-ending injury (2015–2016)

On July 9, 2015, Davis signed a five-year, $145 million contract extension with the Pelicans. On November 6, he tied his career-high of 43 points in a loss to the
Atlanta Hawks The Atlanta Hawks are an American professional basketball team based in Atlanta. The Hawks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Southeast Division. The team plays its home games at ...
. On December 1, he tied a career-high 9 blocked shots in an offensive off night against the Memphis Grizzlies. On December 20, in a win over the
Denver Nuggets The Denver Nuggets are an American professional basketball team based in Denver. The Nuggets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Northwest Division. The team was founded as the D ...
, Davis scored a single-quarter career-high 19 first quarter points to finish the game with 27. On January 15, Davis converted an
alley oop ''Alley Oop'' is a syndicated comic strip created December 5, 1932, by American cartoonist V. T. Hamlin, who wrote and drew the strip through four decades for Newspaper Enterprise Association. Hamlin introduced a cast of colorful characters an ...
dunk from
Jrue Holiday Jrue Randall Holiday (; born June 12, 1990) is an American professional basketball player for the Milwaukee Bucks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for one season with the UCLA Bruins before being selected ...
with 2 seconds remaining to give New Orleans a 109–107 victory over the
Charlotte Hornets The Charlotte Hornets are an American professional basketball team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Hornets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Southeast Division, and pla ...
. On January 28, Davis was named as a reserve for the
2016 NBA All-Star Game The 2016 NBA All-Star Game was an exhibition basketball game that was played on February 14, 2016, during the National Basketball Association's (NBA) 2015–16 season. It was the 65th edition of the NBA All-Star Game, and was played at Air Canad ...
. He again came close to a five-by-five with a 28-point, 10-rebound, 4-assist, 4-block, 4-steal effort on February 3 against the San Antonio Spurs. The following day, he was named to the
NBA All-Star Weekend Skills Challenge The NBA Skills Challenge (officially named The Taco Bell Skills Challenge), is a National Basketball Association (NBA) contest held on the Saturday before the annual All-Star Game as part of the All-Star Weekend. First held in 2003, it is a comp ...
lineup. On February 21, in a win over the Detroit Pistons, Davis scored a franchise-record 59 points and pulled down 20 rebounds. The previous franchise record was 50 points by
Jamal Mashburn Jamal Mashburn Sr. (born November 29, 1972) is an American entrepreneur and former professional basketball player. Nicknamed the "Monster Mash", Mashburn was a prolific scorer as a small forward in his 12 seasons in the National Basketball Assoc ...
exactly 13 years earlier against the Memphis Grizzlies. Davis joined Shaquille O'Neal and
Chris Webber Mayce Edward Christopher Webber III (born March 1, 1973) is an American former professional basketball player. Drafted number one overall by the Orlando Magic, though arguably best known and remembered as the star forward for the Sacramento Kin ...
as the only NBA players with 50 points and 20 rebounds in a game since 1983. Davis also became just the 20th player in NBA history to score at least 59 points in a game, and became the youngest player in NBA history to score 59 points in a game, and the second youngest (behind
Bob McAdoo Robert Allen McAdoo Jr. ( ; born September 25, 1951) is an American former professional basketball player and coach. He played 14 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA), where he was a five-time NBA All-Star and named the NBA Most ...
) to record 50 points and 20 rebounds in a game. The 59 points was an NBA-wide season high at the time. The total was not surpassed until the final night of the season when Kobe Bryant posted 60 in his final career game. Davis posted a third 40-point game (40 points and 13 rebounds) on March 9 against the
Charlotte Hornets The Charlotte Hornets are an American professional basketball team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Hornets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Southeast Division, and pla ...
. On March 20, he was ruled out for the rest of the season with a left knee injury and a torn labrum in his left shoulder. Upon being deactivated, Davis claimed that he had been playing through left shoulder pain since his rookie season.


All-Star record-breaker (2016–2017)

On October 26, Davis began the season with a 50-point, 16-rebound, 7-steal (career high), 5-assist, 4-block performance against the
Denver Nuggets The Denver Nuggets are an American professional basketball team based in Denver. The Nuggets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Northwest Division. The team was founded as the D ...
. He was one block short of his first five-by-five. It was the first 50-point, 15-rebound, 5-assist, 5-steal performance in NBA history since steals became an officially recorded statistic in the 1973–74 season. His 50-point night was the second highest scoring output of his career and was the most by any NBA player in a season opener since
Michael Jordan Michael Jeffrey Jordan (born February 17, 1963), also known by his initials MJ, is an American businessman and former professional basketball player. His biography on the official NBA website states: "By acclamation, Michael Jordan is the g ...
scored 54 points in 1989. Two days later, he had 45 points and 17 rebounds against the Golden State Warriors, becoming the first back-to-back game 40-point scorer in Pelicans history (since the New Orleans Hornets creation in 2002). On November 10, he scored 32 points against the
Milwaukee Bucks The Milwaukee Bucks are an American professional basketball team based in Milwaukee. The Bucks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division. The team was founded in 196 ...
, helping the Pelicans record their first win of the season after starting 0–8. On November 19, Davis posted 38 points and 16 rebounds, including 11 of the Pelicans' final 16 in an overtime win against the
Charlotte Hornets The Charlotte Hornets are an American professional basketball team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Hornets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Southeast Division, and pla ...
. He posted the game-tying score with 18 seconds remaining in regulation. On November 23, he had a 45-point effort in a 117–96 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves; it was the Pelicans' fourth straight win. On December 23, he had 28 points, a career-high 22 rebounds and four blocked shots in a 91–87 win over the Miami Heat. On January 19, Davis was selected as a starter for the
2017 NBA All-Star Game The 2017 NBA All-Star Game was an exhibition basketball game that was played on February 19, 2017, during the National Basketball Association's (NBA) 2016–17 season. It was the 66th edition of the NBA All-Star Game, and was played at the Smooth ...
, marking his fourth selection and second as a starter. On January 27, he had 16 points and tied a career high with 22 rebounds in a 119–103 win over the San Antonio Spurs. On February 2, he was selected as a participant in the
NBA All-Star Weekend Skills Challenge The NBA Skills Challenge (officially named The Taco Bell Skills Challenge), is a National Basketball Association (NBA) contest held on the Saturday before the annual All-Star Game as part of the All-Star Weekend. First held in 2003, it is a comp ...
. On February 10, he had 42 points and 13 rebounds in a 122–106 win over the Timberwolves. Davis scored 40 for the sixth time this season, and it was his highest scoring game since he put up 45 against Minnesota on November 23. On February 19, 2017, playing on his team's home floor for the
NBA All-Star Game The National Basketball Association All-Star Game is a basketball exhibition game hosted every February by the National Basketball Association (NBA) and showcases 24 of the league's star players. It is the featured event of NBA All-Star Weekend, a ...
, Davis notched 52 points and 10 rebounds, breaking Wilt Chamberlain's previous All-Star record high of 42 points, and also won the game's Most Valuable Player award. On March 11, 2017, Davis scored 46 points and grabbed 21 rebounds in a 125–122 overtime win over the
Charlotte Hornets The Charlotte Hornets are an American professional basketball team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Hornets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Southeast Division, and pla ...
. On March 31, 2017, Davis had 19 points, 12 rebounds and five blocks in a 117–89 win over the Sacramento Kings. During the game, Davis became the first player in Pelicans history to reach 2,000 points in a season. Following the season, he edged out
Rudy Gobert Rudy Gobert-Bourgarel ( ; born June 26, 1992) is a French professional basketball player for the Minnesota Timberwolves of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He also represents the French national team in their international competitions. ...
as the center on the All-NBA first team. He was also named to the NBA All-Defensive Second Team for the second time.


Second playoff appearance (2017–2018)

On November 22, 2017, Davis had 29 points and 11 rebounds in a 107–90 win over the San Antonio Spurs. He finished the game with 7,938 career points, moving him into second in franchise history ahead of
Chris Paul Christopher Emmanuel Paul (born May 6, 1985), nicknamed "CP3" and “The Point God”, is an American professional basketball player who plays for the Phoenix Suns of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Paul is widely regarded as one o ...
(7,936). He was subsequently named the Western Conference Player of the Week for games played from November 20–26. Davis led the Pelicans to a 3–1 week behind averages of 29.5 points on .586 shooting from the floor, 12.5 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.3 blocks. Davis missed three games in early December with an adductor strain. On December 27, 2017, he had 33 points, 11 rebounds and six blocks in a 128–113 win over the
Brooklyn Nets The Brooklyn Nets are an American professional basketball team based in the New York City borough of Brooklyn. The Nets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference. The t ...
. On January 14, 2018, Davis scored a season-high 48 points and grabbed 17 rebounds, leading New Orleans back from 19 points down late in the third quarter to a 123–118 overtime victory over the New York Knicks. He followed that up with a 45-point/16-rebound overtime effort on January 16 to lead the Pelicans past the
Boston Celtics The Boston Celtics ( ) are an American professional basketball team based in Boston. The Celtics compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Atlantic Division. Founded in 1946 as one of t ...
116–113. On January 18, he was named a
2018 NBA All-Star Game The 2018 NBA All-Star Game was an exhibition basketball game that was played on February 18, 2018, during the National Basketball Association's (NBA) 2017–18 season. It was the 67th edition of the NBA All-Star Game, and was played at Staples Ce ...
starter. On January 28, he had 25 points and 17 rebounds in a 112–103 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers. Davis' rebound total gave him a franchise all-time high of 3,857, eclipsing David West's mark of 3,853. On February 2, he passed West as the franchise's all-time leading scorer by posting 43 points in a win against the Los Angeles Clippers giving him a total of 8,702. On February 23, he had 45 points, 17 rebounds, five blocked shots and five steals in a 124–123 overtime win over the Miami Heat. He hit a 3-pointer during the game, giving him a career-best 41 3-pointers in a single season. Three days later, he recorded a season-high 53 points, 18 rebounds and five blocked shots in a 125–116 win over the Phoenix Suns. On March 6, he scored 41 points despite a rib contusion in helping the Pelicans defeat the Clippers 121–116. He also tied his career high with four 3-pointers and had 13 rebounds. Five days later, on his 25th birthday, Davis recorded his first career triple-double with 25 points, 11 rebounds and a career-high 10 blocks in a 116–99 loss to the Utah Jazz. His 10 blocks in a game set a franchise record and he tied his own franchise mark with six blocks in one half. In the Pelicans' regular season finale on April 11, Davis had 22 points, 15 rebounds, four blocks and three steals in a 122–98 win over the Spurs. In Game 1 of the Pelicans' first-round playoff series against the Portland Trail Blazers, Davis had 35 points, 14 rebounds, four blocks and two steals in a 97–95 win. It was the Pelicans' first postseason win since 2011 and the first of Davis' six-year career. In Game 4, Davis scored 33 of his franchise playoff-record 47 points in the second half, as the Pelicans completed a first-round sweep of the Trail Blazers with a 131–123 victory. In Game 3 of the Pelicans' second round series against the Golden State Warriors, Davis recorded 33 points, 18 rebounds and four steals, as the Pelicans defeated the Warriors 119–100 to trim Golden State's series lead to 2–1. The Pelicans went on to lose the series in five games, with Davis recording 34 points, 19 rebounds and four blocks in a 113–104 loss in Game 5. At the end of the season, he finished 3rd in the
NBA Most Valuable Player Award The National Basketball Association Most Valuable Player Award (MVP) is an annual National Basketball Association (NBA) award given since the 1955–56 season to the best performing player of the regular season. Starting with the 2022–23 ...
voting and 3rd in the
NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award The NBA's Defensive Player of the Year Award is an annual National Basketball Association (NBA) award given since the 1982–83 NBA season to the best defensive player of the regular season. The winner is selected by a panel of 124 sportswrit ...
voting. Following the season, he earned his first NBA All-Defensive First Team and his third
All-NBA First Team The All-NBA Team is an annual National Basketball Association (NBA) honor bestowed on the best players in the league following every NBA season. The voting is conducted by a global panel of sportswriters and broadcasters. The team has been sele ...
selections.


Requesting a trade (2018–2019)

In the Pelicans' season opener on October 17, Davis had 32 points, 16 rebounds and a career-high eight assists to go with three blocks and three steals in a 131–112 win over the
Houston Rockets The Houston Rockets are an American professional basketball team based in Houston. The Rockets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member team of the league's Western Conference Southwest Division. The team plays its ho ...
. On November 7, he had 32 points, 15 rebounds and four blocks in a 107–98 win over the
Chicago Bulls The Chicago Bulls are an American professional basketball team based in Chicago. The Bulls compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division. The team was founded on January 1 ...
. On November 12, he had 25 points and a season-high 20 rebounds in a 126–110 win over the Toronto Raptors. It was the fifth 20-point, 20-rebound game of Davis' career. On November 16, he scored a season-high 43 points and grabbed 17 rebounds in a 129–124 win over the New York Knicks. A day later, he recorded 40 points, eight rebounds and a career high-tying eight assists in a 125–115 win over the
Denver Nuggets The Denver Nuggets are an American professional basketball team based in Denver. The Nuggets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Northwest Division. The team was founded as the D ...
. On November 21, Davis missed the third of three free throws with 2.5 seconds left, as the Pelicans lost 121–120 to the
Philadelphia 76ers The Philadelphia 76ers, colloquially known as the Sixers, are an American professional basketball team based in the Philadelphia metropolitan area. The 76ers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eas ...
. He finished with 12 points and 16 rebounds and reached 10,000 career points with a dunk late in the first half. He became the eighth youngest player to reach the milestone at the age of 25 years and 255 days. On December 5, he scored 27 points to go with a career-high nine assists, five blocks and four rebounds (nine below his average) in a 132–106 win over the Dallas Mavericks. On December 12, he had 44 points and 18 rebounds in a 118–114 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder. On December 28, he hit a go-ahead, fall-away jumper with 43.9 seconds left and scored a season-high 48 points to lift the Pelicans to a 114–112 win over the Mavericks. On January 2, 2019, Davis posted a career-high and franchise-record 26 rebounds along with 34 points against the
Brooklyn Nets The Brooklyn Nets are an American professional basketball team based in the New York City borough of Brooklyn. The Nets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference. The t ...
. On January 14, he had 46 points and 16 rebounds in a 121–117 win over the Los Angeles Clippers. On January 19, he was ruled out for one to two weeks with a left index finger sprain, an injury sustained the previous night against the Portland Trail Blazers. On January 28, Davis informed the Pelicans that he would not sign a contract extension in the coming off-season, and requested a trade. He was eligible to become a free agent in the summer of 2020. A day later, the NBA fined him $50,000 for making his request public. Davis recovered from his injury and was available to play, but the Pelicans said they would hold him out until after the league trade deadline on February 7. After the deadline passed without a trade, the team announced that Davis would play the rest of the season; they faced potential fines by the league if they held him out. On February 8, he played for first time since his trade request. He had 32 points, nine rebounds and three blocks in 25 minutes before being benched for the entire fourth quarter in a 122–117 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves.


Los Angeles Lakers (2019–present)


First NBA championship (2019–2020)

In July 2019, the Pelicans traded Davis to the Los Angeles Lakers in exchange for Lonzo Ball,
Brandon Ingram Brandon Xavier Ingram (born September 2, 1997) is an American professional basketball player for the New Orleans Pelicans of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He was selected by the Los Angeles Lakers with the second overall pick in the ...
,
Josh Hart Josh Hart (born March 6, 1995) is an American professional basketball player for the Portland Trail Blazers in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He was selected in the first round of the 2017 NBA draft by the Utah Jazz with the 30th ...
, and three first-round draft picks, including the Lakers' No. 4 overall selection in the
2019 NBA draft The 2019 NBA draft was held on June 20, 2019. It took place at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. National Basketball Association (NBA) teams took turns selecting amateur United States college basketball players and other eligible players, i ...
. He made his Lakers debut on October 22, 2019, against the Los Angeles Clippers, putting up 25 points, 10 rebounds, and 5 assists in 37 minutes in a 112–102 loss. On October 29, he became the first Laker to put up a 40-point and 20-rebound performance since Shaquille O'Neal in 2003. Additionally, Davis did this in 30 minutes of play, which has never been done in the history of the NBA. On November 27, Davis made his return to New Orleans for the first time since the trade, recording 41 points and 9 rebounds in a 114–110 win over the Pelicans. The 41 points set an NBA record for the most points scored by a player in his first game against a former team. On December 8, Davis scored a season-high 50 points in a 142–125 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves. On January 3, 2020, Davis had 46 points and 13 rebounds in a 123–113 win over the Pelicans. On January 23, 2020, he was selected to be a front-court starter for the
NBA All-Star Game The National Basketball Association All-Star Game is a basketball exhibition game hosted every February by the National Basketball Association (NBA) and showcases 24 of the league's star players. It is the featured event of NBA All-Star Weekend, a ...
. In January 2020, Davis declined the Lakers' offer of a four-year, $146 million max extension, opting to enter free agency, where he could earn a five-year, $202 million max contract in the upcoming summer. On August 8, Davis had 42 points and 12 rebounds in a 116–108 win over the Utah Jazz to help the Lakers clinch the No. 1 playoff seed in the Western conference. He played in 62 of 71 games during the regular season and finished as a runner-up in voting for the
NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award The NBA's Defensive Player of the Year Award is an annual National Basketball Association (NBA) award given since the 1982–83 NBA season to the best defensive player of the regular season. The winner is selected by a panel of 124 sportswrit ...
. In Game 2 of the Western Conference finals, Davis hit a game winning 3-pointer against the
Denver Nuggets The Denver Nuggets are an American professional basketball team based in Denver. The Nuggets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Northwest Division. The team was founded as the D ...
while putting up 31 points and scoring the last 10 points for the Lakers in a 105–103 win for 2–0 lead in the series. They advanced to the
2020 NBA Finals The 2020 NBA Finals was the championship series of the National Basketball Association's (NBA) 2019–20 season and conclusion of the season's playoffs. In this best-of-seven playoff series, the Western Conference champion Los Angeles Laker ...
, where Davis and LeBron James led the Lakers to a 4–2 win over the Miami Heat for the franchise's 17th championship, tying them with Boston for the most in league history. Davis became the first player to win an NCAA title, an Olympic gold medal, a FIBA World Cup gold medal, and an NBA title.


Injury-prone seasons (2020–present)

On December 3, 2020, Davis re-signed with the Lakers on a five-year, $190 million contract that included an early termination option prior to the fifth season in 2024–25. For the 2020–21 season, he was sidelined for 30 games (February–April 2021), the longest absence of his career, due to right calf and heel issues. In the opening round of the playoffs, the Lakers were up 2–1 in the series against the Phoenix Suns when Davis suffered a strained left groin in Game 4. He was also sidelined in Game 5, when the Suns took a 3–2 lead. He returned in Game 6 but played only five minutes after reaggravating the injury. The Lakers were eliminated 4–2. On December 17, Davis exited in the third quarter of a 92–110 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves after suffering an MCL sprain in his left knee. He missed 17 games before returning in late January, and for the first time since 2013 was not selected for the
2022 NBA All-Star Game The 2022 NBA All-Star Game was an exhibition game played on February 20, 2022, during the National Basketball Association's 2021–22 season. It was the 71st edition of the NBA All-Star Game. The game was hosted by the Cleveland Cavaliers at Rock ...
. On February 16, 2022, in a 106–101 win against the Utah Jazz, Davis injured his right ankle and missed 18 games. In the 40 games he played during the season, Davis averaged 23.2 points, 9.9 rebounds, 3.1 assists, and 2.3 blocks in 35.1 minutes of per game, and the Lakers missed the playoffs. On November 13, 2022, Davis scored 37 points and grabbed 18 rebounds in a 116–103 win over the
Brooklyn Nets The Brooklyn Nets are an American professional basketball team based in the New York City borough of Brooklyn. The Nets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference. The t ...
, to help the Los Angeles Lakers snap a five-game losing streak. In the next game, Davis posted a then season-high 38 points, 16 rebounds and 4 blocks in a 128–121 win over the Detroit Pistons. On November 22, Davis posted a season-high 21 rebounds along with 37 points, 5 steals and 5 blocks in a 115–105 loss against the Phoenix Suns. He became the 1st player since the 1973–74 season (when blocks and steals became an official stat) to record 35-plus points, 20-plus boards, 5-plus steals and 5-plus blocks in a game. It was his fourth consecutive game with 30+ points and 15+ rebounds. Davis also became just the third Laker in franchise history to record 30-plus points and 15-plus rebounds in four consecutive games, joining
Elgin Baylor Elgin Gay Baylor ( ; September 16, 1934 – March 22, 2021) was an American professional basketball player, coach, and executive. He played 14 seasons as a forward in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for the Minneapolis/Los Angeles Lak ...
(had seven such streaks) and
Shaquille O’Neal Shaquille Rashaun O'Neal ( ; born March 6, 1972), known commonly as "Shaq" ( ), is an American former professional basketball player who is a sports analyst on the television program '' Inside the NBA''. O'Neal is regarded as one of the greate ...
(Nov. 19, 1999–Nov. 26,1999). On December 2, Davis scored a then season-high 44 points, along with 10 rebounds, 4 assists and 3 blocks in a 133–129 victory over the
Milwaukee Bucks The Milwaukee Bucks are an American professional basketball team based in Milwaukee. The Bucks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division. The team was founded in 196 ...
. On December 4, Davis scored a season-high 55 points along with 17 rebounds and three blocks in a 130–119 win over the
Washington Wizards The Washington Wizards are an American professional basketball team based in Washington, D.C. The Wizards compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Southeast Division. The team plays ...
. He joined Kevin McHale as only the second player in NBA history to put up at least 55 points, 15 rebounds, and three blocks in a game since blocks became an official stat in the 1973–74 season. Davis became only the fourth player to score at least 99 points in a two-game span while shooting at least 70% from the field; Elgin Baylor had three of those streaks,
Wilt Chamberlain Wilton Norman Chamberlain (; August 21, 1936 – October 12, 1999) was an American professional basketball player who played as a center. Standing at tall, he played in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for 14 years and is widely reg ...
had two and David Thompson had one. He also became the first Laker with back-to-back 40-point games since Kobe Bryant in March 2013. On December 5, Davis was named the NBA Western Conference Player of the Week for Week 7 (November 28 – December 4), his eighth career NBA Player of the Week award and first with the Lakers. He led the Lakers to 3–1 week with averages of 37.8 points, 13.0 rebounds and 3.25 blocks.


Career statistics


NBA


Regular season

, - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", New Orleans , 64 , , 60 , , 28.8 , , .516 , , .000 , , .751 , , 8.2 , , 1.0 , , 1.2 , , 1.8 , , 13.5 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", New Orleans , 67 , , 66 , , 35.2 , , .519 , , .222 , , .791 , , 10.0 , , 1.6 , , 1.3 , , style="background:#cfecec;", 2.8* , , 20.8 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", New Orleans , 68 , , 68 , , 36.1 , , .535 , , .083 , , .805 , , 10.2 , , 2.2 , , 1.5 , , style="background:#cfecec;", 2.9* , , 24.4 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", New Orleans , 61 , , 61 , , 35.5 , , .493 , , .324 , , .758 , , 10.3 , , 1.9 , , 1.3 , , 2.0 , , 24.3 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", New Orleans , 75 , , 75 , , 36.1 , , .505 , , .299 , , .802 , , 11.8 , , 2.1 , , 1.3 , , 2.2 , , 28.0 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", New Orleans , 75 , , 75 , , 36.4 , , .534 , , .340 , , .828 , , 11.1 , , 2.3 , , 1.5 , , style="background:#cfecec;", 2.6* , , 28.1 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", New Orleans , 56 , , 56 , , 33.0 , , .517 , , .331 , , .794 , , 12.0 , , 3.9 , , 1.6 , , 2.4 , , 25.9 , - , style="text-align:left; background:#afe6ba;", , style="text-align:left;",
L.A. Lakers The Los Angeles Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Lakers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Pacific Division. The Lakers play their ...
, 62 , , 62 , , 34.4 , , .503 , , .330 , , .846 , , 9.3 , , 3.2 , , 1.5 , , 2.3 , , 26.1 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",
L.A. Lakers The Los Angeles Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Lakers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Pacific Division. The Lakers play their ...
, 36 , , 36 , , 32.3 , , .491 , , .260 , , .738 , , 7.9 , , 3.1 , , 1.3 , , 1.6 , , 21.8 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",
L.A. Lakers The Los Angeles Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Lakers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Pacific Division. The Lakers play their ...
, 40 , , 40 , , 35.1 , , .532 , , .186 , , .713 , , 9.9 , , 3.1 , , 1.2 , , 2.3 , , 23.2 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 604 , , 599 , , 34.4 , , .515 , , .303 , , .794 , , 10.2 , , 2.3 , , 1.4 , , 2.3 , , 23.8 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", All-Star , 6 , , 3 , , 16.4 , , .706 , , .167 , , .500 , , 4.8 , , .3 , , 1.3 , , .5 , , 20.5


Playoffs

, - , style="text-align:left;",
2015 File:2015 Events Collage new.png, From top left, clockwise: Civil service in remembrance of November 2015 Paris attacks; Germanwings Flight 9525 was purposely crashed into the French Alps; the rubble of residences in Kathmandu following the April ...
, style="text-align:left;", New Orleans , 4 , , 4 , , 43.0 , , .540 , , .000 , , .889 , , 11.0 , , 2.0 , , 1.3 , , 3.0 , , 31.5 , - , style="text-align:left;",
2018 File:2018 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea; Protests erupt following the Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi; March for Our Lives protests take place across the United ...
, style="text-align:left;", New Orleans , 9 , , 9 , , 39.8 , , .520 , , .273 , , .828 , , 13.4 , , 1.7 , , 2.0 , , 2.4 , , 30.1 , - , style="text-align:left; background:#afe6ba;",
2020 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global social and economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of events, worldwide lockdowns and the largest economic recession since the Great Depression in ...
, style="text-align:left;",
L.A. Lakers The Los Angeles Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Lakers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Pacific Division. The Lakers play their ...
, 21 , , 21 , , 36.6 , , .571 , , .383 , , .832 , , 9.7 , , 3.5 , , 1.2 , , 1.4 , , 27.7 , - , style="text-align:left;",
2021 File:2021 collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: the James Webb Space Telescope was launched in 2021; Protesters in Yangon, Myanmar following the 2021 Myanmar coup d'état, coup d'état; A civil demonstration against the October–November 2021 ...
, style="text-align:left;",
L.A. Lakers The Los Angeles Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Lakers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Pacific Division. The Lakers play their ...
, 5 , , 5 , , 28.8 , , .403 , , .182 , , .833 , , 6.6 , , 2.6 , , .6 , , 1.6 , , 17.4 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 39 , , 39 , , 37.0 , , .538 , , .326 , , .838 , , 10.3 , , 2.8 , , 1.3 , , 1.8 , , 27.3


College

, - , style="text-align:left;", 2011–12 , style="text-align:left;", Kentucky , 40 , , 40 , , 32.0 , , .623 , , .150 , , .709 , , 10.4 , , 1.3 , , 1.3 , , 4.7 , , 14.2


Records

;NCAA * Freshman season total blocked shots (186) * National Championship game blocked shots (6, tied) ;SEC *Single season blocked shots (186) ;Kentucky *NCAA tournament single-game blocked shots (7) *SEC tournament single-game blocked shots (6) *Season opener blocked shots (5) *SEC season opener blocked shots (7) *Freshman field goal percentage (62.3%) *Career blocked shots per game (4.65) *Single-season blocked shots per game (4.65) *Single-season blocked shots (186) *Single-season games played (40, tied) *Single-season games started (40, tied) ;NBA *Free throws made in a quarter (18) *Single All-star game points (52) *Single All-star game half points (30) *Single All-star game field goals made (26) *Single All-star game half field goals made (15) *Single All-star game quarter field goals made (10) ;New Orleans *Career points (11059) *Career rebounds (4906) *Career offensive rebounds (1208) *Career defensive rebounds (3698) *Career blocked shots (1121) *Career field goals made (4153) *Career 2-point field goals made (3972) *Career free throws made (2572) *Career points/game (23.7) *Career blocks/game (2.4) *Career
player efficiency rating The player efficiency rating (PER) is John Hollinger's all-in-one basketball rating, which attempts to collect or boil down all of a player's contributions into one number. Using a detailed formula, Hollinger developed a system that rates every pl ...
(27.4) *Career defensive win shares (25.6) *Single-season field goals (780) *Single-season 2-point field goals (730) *Single-season free throws (519) *Single-season defensive rebounds (712) *Single-season blocks (200) *Single-season points (2110) *Single-season points/game (28.1) *Single-season blocks/game (2.9) *Single-season player efficiency rating (30.8) *Single-season defensive win shares (5.1) ;Los Angeles *Single-game free throws made (26)


National team career

On May 2, 2012, following a rash of injuries to players who had been on the 20-man
Team USA The United States national team or Team USA may refer to any of a number of sports team representing the United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country ...
basketball roster in January (notably center
Dwight Howard Dwight David Howard II (born December 8, 1985) is an American professional basketball player for the Taoyuan Leopards of the T1 League. He is an NBA champion, eight-time All-Star, eight-time All-NBA Team honoree, five-time All-Defensive Team m ...
), Davis was named as one of the finalists for the 2012 Olympic basketball team. Davis, along with
Greg Monroe Gregory Keith Monroe Jr. (born June 4, 1990) is an American professional basketball player for the Shanxi Loongs of the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA). He was drafted by the Detroit Pistons in the 2010 NBA draft with the seventh overall pi ...
, was under consideration to fill the vacancy at center resulting from Howard's injury. Davis would be the first American player since
Emeka Okafor Chukwuemeka Ndubuisi "Emeka" Okafor (born September 28, 1982) is an American former professional basketball player. Okafor attended Bellaire High School in Bellaire, Texas and the University of Connecticut, where in 2004 he won a national champ ...
(
2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 60 ...
) to have competed in the Olympics without any prior NBA experience. By the beginning of July, he was one of six players (along with
Blake Griffin Blake Austin Griffin (born March 16, 1989) is an American professional basketball player for the Boston Celtics of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Oklahoma Sooners, when he was named the consensu ...
, James Harden,
Rudy Gay Rudy Carlton Gay Jr. (born August 17, 1986) is an American professional basketball player for the Utah Jazz of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The 6'8" forward played college basketball for the University of Connecticut before being ...
,
Andre Iguodala Andre Tyler Iguodala ( ; born January 28, 1984) is an American professional basketball player who plays for the Golden State Warriors of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The swingman was an NBA All-Star in 2012 and has been named to th ...
and
Eric Gordon Eric Ambrose Gordon Jr. (born December 25, 1988) is an American professional basketball player for the Houston Rockets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). In high school, he was named "Mr. Basketball" of Indiana during his senior yea ...
) competing for the final three roster spots, according to
USA Basketball USA Basketball (USAB) is a non-profit organization and the governing body for basketball in the United States. The organization represents the United States in FIBA and the men's and women's national basketball teams in the United States Oly ...
director
Jerry Colangelo Jerry Colangelo (born November 20, 1939) is an American businessman and sports executive. He formerly owned the Phoenix Suns of the NBA, the Phoenix Mercury of the WNBA, the Arizona Sandsharks of the Continental Indoor Soccer League, the Arizo ...
.
Tyson Chandler Tyson Cleotis Chandler (born October 2, 1982) is an American former professional basketball player and coach. Chandler was drafted directly out of high school as the second overall pick of the 2001 NBA draft by the Los Angeles Clippers, then wa ...
,
Kevin Love Kevin Wesley Love (born September 7, 1988) is an American professional basketball player for the Cleveland Cavaliers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He is a five-time All-Star, a two-time member of the All-NBA Second Team and w ...
, Griffin and Davis were the only true post players among the final 15. It was reported that Davis "suffered a severely sprained ankle in a workout" on June 30 and "almost assuredly ouldbypass a chance to play for Team USA
hat A hat is a head covering which is worn for various reasons, including protection against weather conditions, ceremonial reasons such as university graduation, religious reasons, safety, or as a fashion accessory. Hats which incorporate mecha ...
summer in the London Olympics." On July 12, 2012, however, he was selected for the Olympic team after Griffin suffered an injury to the same knee he injured in the
2012 NBA Playoffs The 2012 NBA playoffs was the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association's 2011–12 season. The tournament concluded with the Eastern Conference champion Miami Heat defeating the Western Conference champion Oklahoma City ...
, making him the only amateur player on the team. The team went undefeated in London and won the gold medal match over Spain. Davis was also a member of the 2014 national team that won the gold medal in the
2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup The 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup was the 17th edition of the FIBA Basketball World Cup, the tournament previously known as the FIBA World Championship. Hosted by Spain, it was the last tournament to be held on the then-current four-year cycle. ...
over Serbia on September 14. He averaged 12.3 points, 6.6 rebounds and 2.1 blocks per game in 9 games played, while shooting 54.9% from the field.


Esports career

On June 19, 2022, Davis signed with
FaZe Clan FaZe Clan (formerly FaZe Sniping) is a professional esports and entertainment organization headquartered in Los Angeles, California, USA. Founded on May 30, 2010, the organization has players from around the world, across multiple games, includ ...
and join to Nuke Squad for ''
Call of Duty ''Call of Duty'' is a first-person shooter video game franchise published by Activision. Starting out in 2003, it first focused on games set in World War II. Over time, the series has seen games set in the midst of the Cold War, futuristic ...
''. He also become tallest esports player and replaced
Dr Disrespect Herschel Beahm IV (born March 10, 1982), better known as Dr Disrespect or SPECT or Mr. 2 Time, is an American video game streamer. He had over 4 million followers on Twitch when he was active on the site, and became known for playing battle roy ...
.


Personal life

Davis is the son of Anthony Davis Sr. Davis Sr. is , and his mother, Erainer, is . He has a twin sister, Antoinette and an older sister, Lesha who played basketball at Daley College. He has cousins named Jarvis, Marshaun and Keith Chamberlain. Keith has played professional basketball in Germany and Latvia and their father, Keith Sr., served as Davis' elementary school athletic director. Davis married Marlen P on September 18, 2021. They have one daughter together. On June 15, 2012, he signed with
Arn Tellem Arn Herschel Tellem
and Thad Foucher of the
Wasserman Media Group Wasserman (formerly Wasserman Media Group) is a sports marketing and talent management company based in Los Angeles. Casey Wasserman, grandson of media mogul Lew Wasserman, founded the company in 1998 and acts as its chief executive. History I ...
as his
agent Agent may refer to: Espionage, investigation, and law *, spies or intelligence officers * Law of agency, laws involving a person authorized to act on behalf of another ** Agent of record, a person with a contractual agreement with an insuranc ...
s. Tellem left to become an NBA executive in 2015, and Davis signed with
Rich Paul Rich Paul (born December 16, 1981) is an American sports agent based in Cleveland, Ohio. He founded Klutch Sports Group which represents a number of prominent NBA players. Paul was named by ''Forbes'' as one of the world's most powerful sports ...
of
Klutch Sports Group Klutch Sports Group is an American sports agency based in Los Angeles, California, founded by sports agent Rich Paul. History In 2003, after the NBA draft, LeBron James asked Paul to be a part of his small inner circle, along with James' chi ...
in 2018. Davis
trademarked A trademark (also written trade mark or trade-mark) is a type of intellectual property consisting of a recognizable sign, design, or expression that identifies products or services from a particular source and distinguishes them from others ...
his
unibrow A unibrow (or jacco brow or monobrow; called synophrys in medicine) is a single eyebrow created when the two eyebrows meet in the middle above the bridge of the nose. The hair above the bridge of the nose is of the same color and thickness as ...
sayings "Fear The Brow" and "Raise The Brow" in June 2012. In 2014, he launched AD's Flight Academy, which holds charitable events in the Greater-New Orleans area.


Filmography


See also

*
List of National Basketball Association franchise career scoring leaders The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional men's basketball league, consisting of 30 teams in North America (29 in the United States and one in Canada). The NBA was founded in New York City on June 6, 1946, as the Basketball Assoc ...
*
List of National Basketball Association annual blocks leaders In basketball, a blocked shot occurs when a defender deflects or stops a field goal attempt without committing a foul. The National Basketball Association's (NBA) block title is awarded to the player with the highest blocks per game average in a ...
*
List of National Basketball Association single-game blocks leaders This is a complete list of National Basketball Association players who have blocked 10 or more shots in a game. 44 players have blocked 10 or more shots in a game. It has occurred 160 times (including the playoffs) in NBA history. Mark Eaton ac ...
*
List of National Basketball Association career blocks leaders This article provides two lists: :A list of National Basketball Association players by total career regular season leaders in blocking shots. :A progressive list of blocked shots leaders showing how the record has increased through the years. Bl ...
*
List of NCAA Division I men's basketball season blocks leaders In basketball, a block (short for blocked shot) occurs when a defender deflects or stops a field goal attempt without committing a foul. The National Collegiate Athletic Association's (NCAA) Division I block title is awarded to the player with ...


References


External links


Kentucky Wildcats bio

ESPN.com Profile

Articles
at '' Chicago Tribune'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Davis, Anthony 1993 births Living people 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup players 21st-century African-American sportspeople African-American basketball players All-American college men's basketball players American men's basketball players Basketball players at the 2012 Summer Olympics Basketball players from Chicago Centers (basketball) FIBA Basketball World Cup-winning players Fraternal twins Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball players Los Angeles Lakers players McDonald's High School All-Americans Medalists at the 2012 Summer Olympics National Basketball Association All-Stars New Orleans Hornets draft picks New Orleans Hornets players New Orleans Pelicans players Olympic gold medalists for the United States in basketball Parade High School All-Americans (boys' basketball) Power forwards (basketball) American twins Twin sportspeople United States men's national basketball team players