Friday night marked the return of Anthony Davis to Crypto.com Arena, this time as a player for the Dallas Mavericks. The game was notable not only for Davis’s comeback after missing a month due to a calf strain but also for the matchup between two teams with significant recent history.
The Los Angeles Lakers managed a 129-119 victory over the Mavericks, with Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves playing key roles in securing the win. After the game, Davis and Reaves exchanged jerseys, an act that signified mutual respect between the players.
Reaves reflected on what it meant to receive Davis’s jersey, saying: “I mean, he’s one of the best players to ever touch a basketball,” Reaves said of Davis. “So, I don’t know why he wanted my jersey. But for me to get his, is pretty fun. I got one the other night too. Yeah, Chris Paul, good player. I got a lot of love for AD, he’s a big reason that I’m where I’m at right now. From Day 1, he was telling me to be myself, don’t be anybody else, continue to work and really just be myself on the court. So, I owe him a lot, yeah, wish him nothing but the best.”
Davis played an important role in supporting Reaves when he joined the Lakers as an undrafted rookie. Alongside LeBron James, Davis encouraged Reaves to have confidence in himself and focus on his own development as a player.
The connection between these teams goes beyond just current players; several members of Dallas’s roster and coaching staff have previous ties to Los Angeles. This includes D’Angelo Russell, Max Christie, Jason Kidd, Frank Vogel and Phil Handry.
After the game concluded with another win for Los Angeles against their former teammate Davis and coaches now with Dallas, LeBron James spoke about seeing familiar faces from his tenure with the Lakers: “all the emotions seeing former teammates and coaches who have been a part of his tenure in Los Angeles.”
Davis remains remembered by Lakers fans for helping deliver an NBA championship in 2020—a year considered especially challenging—and many believe his contributions will eventually lead to his jersey being retired by Los Angeles.
