L.A. Lakers superstar LeBron James has been fortunate to play with many other top talents throughout his illustrious NBA career with the likes of Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh and Kyrie Irving. However, NBA writer Mark Medina argues that his current co-star, Anthony Davis, is the best of them all.
L.A. Lakers news – Anthony Davis
Anthony Davis made history by agreeing to a three-year, $186 million extension with the L.A Lakers, which is the richest annual extension in the NBA to date, per ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
The eight-time NBA All-Star initially joined the Lakers in 2019 to team up with four-time league MVP, LeBron James, in pursuit of his first NBA title in a trade that sent Lonzo Ball, Brandon Ingram and Josh Hart, along with a multitude of picks to the New Orleans Pelicans, per Wojnarowski.
Together, the duo achieved their goal and won the NBA title in the 2019-20 season.
Despite a season which kept both Davis and James out for periods with varying injuries, both played through the 2023 NBA playoffs, making the Western Conference Finals as a #7 seed, where their journey came to an end after a 4-0 sweep by the Denver Nuggets.
With both stars locked into a few more seasons with the Lakers, and with the franchise choosing to maintain 'continuity' within their roster, the Purple and Gold are tipped as genuine contenders ahead of the 2023-24 regular season.
What is Mark Medina’s thoughts on Anthony Davis and LeBron James together?
Medina argues that when both stars are healthy, LeBron James and Anthony Davis are the best duo combination in James’ two-decade career.
Speaking to GIVEMESPORT, the journalist said: “While there certainly going to be questions about LeBron James’ health, Anthony Davis’ health, do they have enough to truly compete for a title, they feel that this pathway of continuity was the best formula.”
“Not just because of the danger of when you’re chasing another star that you're giving up a lot of depth, but also to maximize LeBron James’ championship window.”
“When healthy, LeBron James and Anthony Davis, I would argue have been the best duo combination that LeBron has ever had in his NBA career, even when comparing his chemistry that he had with Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh, and Kyrie Irving, Kevin Love.”
“I think also, as we saw last season, the idea of having a third star versus depth around LeBron James, Anthony Davis, the depth and role-players has been a lot more successful than having a third star ala a Russell Westbrook.”
How does Anthony Davis compare with LeBron James’ other teammates?
When you think of LeBron James’ greatest ever teammates, four names would usually immediately spring to mind: Anthony Davis, Dwyane Wade, Kyrie Irving and Chris Bosh.
The order in which they rank has been widely debated, but Wade and Davis are regularly tipped as the two top contenders for the No. 1 spot.
Per Statmuse, Wade played 285 games with James as members of the Miami Heat, and in that span the 6’4” guard averaged 20.6 points, 5.1 rebounds and 4.5 assists, shooting 51.0% from the field. The duo, along with Chris Bosh, won two NBA Championships together.
On the other hand, Davis and James have only played around half the amount of games together that James and Wade did, but the numbers speak for themselves.
Since joining the Lakers in 2019, The Brow has averaged 24.4 points, 9.7 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 2.2 blocks in his 144 career games played with King James, shooting 52.8% from the field. Together they won the 2019-20 NBA championship, the Purple and Gold’s first title since 2010.
If based on statistics alone, it can be argued that the 6’10” power forward is LeBron James’ greatest ever teammate, and together they have been dubbed as one of the best duos in the NBA, period.
As long as they both stay healthy, they may even be in serious contention to win another NBA championship together next season which will further strengthen the case for Anthony Davis being LeBron James’ greatest ever teammate, and that is really saying something.