The Washington Wizards’ big man offered his grievances about the lack of appreciation he obtained from the Pelicans and the New Orleans fanbase since leaving them in 2019 to join the Lakers.
Anthony Davis remains disgruntled about how he never obtained any proper appreciation from the New Orleans Pelicans upon leaving the franchise in 2019.
MIN:
31.28
PTS:
20.35 (54.94%)
REB:
11.05
AS:
2.8
ST:
1.1
BL:
1.65
TO:
2.05
GM:
20
Appearing on The Draymond Green Show, the Washington Wizards star ranted off and expressed frustration about not obtaining any video tribute on his first return to New Orleans after joining the Los Angeles Lakers.
“New Orleans offered me a crazy deal at the time. Like it’s not even about the money. Like I genuinely want to win. And so now because I want to win, I’m considered a villain to this team and to this fanbase. And to this day, I go back and they still boo me,” Davis said.
“I’mma tell you what got me, though. And you say that best player in franchise history like points, rebounds, blocks, like all this. You know what’s crazy? When I went back, I did not get a tribute. And that was the final straw.”
Davis was drafted as the No. 1 overall pick of the 2012 NBA Draft, chosen by the Pelicans.
He led the franchise to new heights following the Chris Paul era. As Davis transformed into an All-NBA player and one of the top players in basketball, New Orleans reached the 2015 NBA Playoffs and made it to the second round of the 2018 postseason.
But in 2018-19, both sides endured an embattled stand-off. Davis announced that he will not sign a contract extension with the franchise, reportedly demanding that the Pelicans trade him to the Lakers.
In the 2019 offseason, his wish was eventually fulfilled as NOLA acquired Lonzo Ball, Brandon Ingram, Josh Hart and three first-round draft picks.
Davis revealed that he had plans to return to New Orleans at some point in his career, even telling it to Pelicans owner Gayle Benson. As such, this officially ended upon not receiving a video tribute from the team.
“You know how it goes—you get drafted to a team, and toward the end of your career you think about going back,” Davis said. “I’ve always had that mindset. When the trade happened, before the deadline, I told Miss Benson I wanted to get out and explained my reasons. We’re still cool to this day. I also told her this might not be the end—that later in my career, maybe I could come back, more mature, with the game developed, maybe after winning a couple championships, and try to do something special.
“I left that door open. But when I went back for that first game and got no tribute, I said, ‘That door is closed. I can’t. That door is closed.'”
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