King James played the perfect host in welcoming AD to Los Angeles in 2019.
After the 2018 Finals, LeBron James decided to test free agency waters, which ended in his signing with the Los Angeles Lakers. While this didn’t immediately strengthen his chances of winning a championship, “King James” had begun developing a blueprint for the future.
Following his first season with the Lakers, the franchise made a blockbuster trade over the summer, acquiring Pelicans star Anthony Davis. Suddenly, the Purple and Gold were in contention for an NBA title, with James finding a renewed energy to play.
The urgency of onboarding Davis was evident from LBJ’s willingness to part ways with his jersey No.23. Recalling a dinner with James. AD talked about the former’s kind gesture of welcoming him to the City of Angels.
“It was the end of the dinner. (James) pulled out a card. He was like, ‘My wife wanted me to give you this.’ I was like, ‘Why is Savannah giving me a card?”‘ the ten-time All-Star said. “‘Welcome to L.A.’ such and such and such, ‘bro.’ I stopped reading. I said, ‘Wait, Savannah doesn’t even call me ‘bro.’
Davis scanned to the bottom of the card for the signature: King James #6. From inside the to-go bag the waiter had brought over, James whipped out a gold Lakers jersey with No. 23 stitched in purple numerals and the name ‘Davis’ on the back,” Dave McMenamin’s ESPN story detailed the events
“He was like, ‘I know you wanted 23.’ For him to, in an instant, just say, ‘Here. Here’s 23. You can have it’….It was a cool moment, concluded AD.
Bron was ready to part ways with No.23, effective immediately after Davis signed with the Lakers. But this wasn’t as easy as it seemed, with other factors involved. At the time, Nike intervened, citing time constraints to implement the change and the financial repercussions.
It was a long wait for AD before having 23 embossed at the back of his Lakers jersey. Meanwhile, James was back to donning No.6, a number he wore during his Miami stint. Repping the number for two seasons, the veteran forward switched back to 23.
A sign of him paying homage to the late Bill Russell, who passed away in 2022. The league had decided to retire No.6 across but couldn’t implement it immediately. Hence, before the 2023-24 season, James switched back to 23, and Davis followed up with No.3.
When they touched down in LA in 2019, the duo of James and Davis clicked in no time. This was demonstrated in their first season as teammates, with the two superstars winning a championship. The following years failed to yield a similar outcome, with their highest ceiling being a WCF appearance against the Nuggets in 2023.
The Brow’s” injury-prone nature became a topic of debate among several media houses. However, the 6’10” forward would never come up short of posting big numbers when on the court. Meanwhile, James defied Father Time, having MVP-caliber performances.
The Lakers duo won 157 of the 249 games they played as teammates, with a success rate of 63 percent. Going into the current season, Davis was more consistent than ever, contributing at both ends and was also the front-runner for the DPOY.
But fate had different plans for AD, who found himself in a historic trade that changed the dynamics of the league. Shipped to the Mavericks in exchange for Luka Doncic, the 2020 champion now holds the key to reviving the declining fan base in Dallas.
