The duo of LeBron James and Anthony Davis is no more, but not without helping the Los Angeles Lakers end a 10-year drought by winning the NBA Championship during the unprecedented 2020 season.
In arguably the most shocking NBA trade in history, the Los Angeles Lakers and the Dallas Mavericks completed a deal to swap Luka Doncic and Anthony Davis, a franchise-altering move for both sides that would certainly tip the NBA balance of power this season and for many more to come.
The caliber of the main players involved was one thing, but the manner in which it was executed is another.
Due to the shocking nature of the blockbuster deal, the sports world was left blindsided following the first reports of NBA Insider Shams Charania.
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But as the dust settled on the confirmed deal, now announced by both the Lakers and the Mavericks, excitement is taking over.
Still, the main characters are left to ponder on the gravity of the transaction, with Lakers superstar LeBron James acknowledging his champion running-mate who is now off to Dallas.
LeBron posted a couple of Instagram stories for Davis, with whom he won a championship with in 2020.
“Go crazy over there,” James wrote in one of them.
AD arrived in Los Angeles in 2019, just one season after LeBron came to the Lakers as a free agent.
[Related: Anthony Davis to Dallas now official as Mavericks announce their end of blockbuster deal]
The duo immediately powered the Lakers to the historic 2020 NBA title, which then tied the Boston Celtics for most in NBA history.
However, injuries plagued most of the rest of their tenure, with the Lakers never finishing above the 7th seed in the West since, including missing the playoffs entirely in 2022.
A strong season and a crucial trade deadline deal sparks LeBron, AD, and the Lakers in 2023, eliminating the then champion Golden State Warriors before losing to eventual champion Denver Nuggets in the Western Conference Finals.
In 312 games for the Lakers, spread across five and a half seasons, Davis averaged 24.8 points, 11.0 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 1.2 steals, and 2.2 blocks.
This season, AD led the Lakers in points, rebounds, steals, and blocks, going for 25.7 points, 11.9 rebounds, 3.4 assists, 1.3 steals, and 2.1 blocks.