LeBron James shared a heartfelt message as his parting shot for his close friend and now ex-Los Angeles Lakers teammate Anthony Davis.
“Love you my dog!! Go crazy over there. Woe 4 [life]! See you soon,” James posted on his Instagram story with a crying emoji.
LeBron James IGLeBron James’ parting shot for ex-Lakers teammate Anthony Davis, who was traded for Luka Doncic.
In the wee hours of Sunday morning, the Lakers and Dallas Mavericks shocked the world with the most stunning trade in NBA history Davis and Luka Dončić swapped teams.
The Lakers received Dončić, Maxi Kleber and Markieff Morris from the Mavericks in the three-team deal which also included the Utah Jazz. In addition to Davis, the Mavericks also acquired Max Christie and the Lakers’ 2029 first-round pick.
The Jazz received Jalen Hood-Schifino, the LA Clippers’ 2025 second-round pick from the Lakers and the Mavericks’ 2025 second-round selection.
It was the first time two reigning All-NBA players were traded to each other midseason, according to Elias Sports Bureau.
LeBron James Didn’t Know About the Trade
All three superstars did not have an inkling that the trade was coming.
James even referenced Davis as the Lakers’ best player after their 128-112 win over the New York Knicks on Saturday night.
“There’s no way we can make up for [Davis] absence,” James told reporters. “There’s no way especially defensively, offensively. He’s our best player so we all have to figure out how to do a little bit more and I think tonight we did that.”
A couple of hours later, they became ex-teammates.
According to ESPN’s Dave McMenamin, James was having dinner at a New York restaurant with his family when he learned about the trade.
“James was surprised by the news, is processing it and had no idea it was in the works, sources said,” McMenamin wrote on X shortly after ESPN’s Shams Charania broke the news of the trade.
James and Davis have played for five and a half seasons together and led the Lakers to the championship during the pandemic-hit 2019-20 season. They were one of the best pick-and-roll partners in the NBA for years, but health and clunky roster constructions kept them from winning more championships.
LeBron James Livid About Anthony Davis Rumor
James’ first social media post since the trade was not a message to Davis nor his reaction to the trade.
It was an angry reaction to a report from CBS’ NBA insider Bill Reiter’s report, which suggested he had a hand in Davis, his close friend, getting traded.
“You a [expletive] lie!!! 🤥🤡 ” James wrote on X, refuting the report.
Reiter said in his report that there was friction between James and Davis dating back to last season.
“So, I have not been able to reach every source you would like to as this breaking news story. So Joe [Musso], I’m going to tell you something that was true a year ago, but I think it is pertinent now,” Reiter reported. “And I remember I talked to you about this on CBS Sports HQ last year at the trade deadline, Lakers fans got very angry, but at the time, there was talk within the Lakers organization that LeBron James had grown a little frustrated with Anthony Davis.
“It wasn’t that necessary [Davis] was going to be traded. We obviously didn’t report that on CBS boards. It was just, ‘Hey, there’s something to keep an eye on.’ LeBron is frustrated with [Davis]. He doesn’t think that it’s working, and that’s because LeBron has very, very high expectations. And you fast forward a year later. Obviously, that reporting, really, that information from Lakers sources, was accurate.”
Reiter stood by his reporting.
“Check out the entire video to understand the context here. I stand by my reporting,” he wrote on X in response to James’ reaction.
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