LeBron James' teammate accused of being 'jealous' and 'petty' for 'sulking' during historic moment
One of LeBron James' teammates, a star player for that matter, has found himself in the firing line for seemingly refusing to celebrate one of the most historic moments in NBA history.
Footage has emerged of Los Angeles Lakers big man Anthony Davis sitting on the bench as LeBron broke Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's 39-year record to become the NBA's all-time leading scorer.
Um… what??? pic.twitter.com/ITehJK8rYk
— Bill Simmons (@BillSimmons) February 8, 2023
In the viral clip, Davis - unlike the rest of his teammates - didn't rise to his feet to celebrate or even watch the iconic moment.
In fact, he didn't even applaud LeBron, instead choosing to remain on the bench where he watched on by checking out the big screen inside Crypto.com Arena.
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Davis' reaction, or rather lack thereof, hasn't gone down well with the wider NBA community who have wasted no time in piling in.
Jalen Rose spoke nothing but facts! A lot of people feel the same way about Anthony Davis’s vibe and energy last night. Came off like he was jealous of Lebron’s moment. “UNLESS”there was something going on we just don’t know about, it came off very wrong! pic.twitter.com/Yk6ihUmt14
— Sports Politics & World News (@ShutUp_Tweet1) February 8, 2023
ESPN’s Jalen Rose gave perhaps the most damning assessment, labelling AD's actions as “petty” and “jealous”.
“There’s no way on God’s green earth that you can be sitting down when the greatest record in the history of basketball is being broken,” Rose said.
“It comes off as petty, it comes as you’re hating, it comes off as that you’re jealous of the moment and when things like that happen, overarching, you feel like, can they continue to play together?”
On social media, others clearly shared the same sentiment.
Anthony Davis not excited… https://t.co/HPG9Qfyjpi
— Adam the Bull (@adamthebull) February 8, 2023
Anthony Davis didn’t look very happy for LeBron last night.
— NBA Memes (@NBAMemes) February 8, 2023
This pic got me in tears 💀😭 pic.twitter.com/xG0IjMlsCp
Unless we get word there's a personal issue going on with AD, the best explanation for this is LeBron and the Lakers are trying to trade him and Anthony Davis knows itpic.twitter.com/4mFB9lrD9P
— Jason McIntyre (@jasonrmcintyre) February 8, 2023
What in the world is Anthony Davis' deal?????
— Jonathan Tavernari (@For3JT) February 8, 2023
He has not been the same since we won the championship in 2020... pic.twitter.com/k4aRJf11MN
What was up with Anthony Davis sitting while Lebron broke the NBA all-time scoring record??? Not a good look imo. pic.twitter.com/JX7ca6QJEi
— Jared Silverman (@JaredWAFB) February 8, 2023
I rewatched the Lakers-Thunder game, there was not a single #LeBron bucket that #AD was cheering for. Literally could not find a single reaction. Here 2 examples from the 2nd quarter. This was LeBron’s biggest regular season game, mind you. Something’s off.#LakeShow pic.twitter.com/w6EIKJ2e2l
— SLO HOOPS FAN 🇸🇮 (@SloHoopsFan) February 8, 2023
At one point during the fourth quarter, cameras picked up an interesting exchange between LeBron and AD.
Still taking in all the emotions from his history-making moment, LeBron told Davis on the bench: “I love you bro. That’s all, I want you to know.”
Speaking after the game int he locker room, Davis didn't seem all too fussed about it all, although he did somewhat congratulate his teammate.
"I just want to let you know I love you bro."
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPointsApp) February 8, 2023
-Lebron James to Anthony Davis❤️pic.twitter.com/1Ov9Ee2Gq2
"He's played a big part in the team's success, a big part in my success. A leader in all kinds of ways in all kinds of ways, all kind of facets on and off the floor," Davis said.
"He's a great human being, family guy, check all the boxes. Definitely well deserved.
"He's put a lot of blood, sweat and tears into this game and it was an honour to be able to witness it live."
Asked how emotional it was for the team, he replied: "I don't think it was emotional for us".
Topics: Basketball, NBA, Lebron James, LA Lakers
Max Sherry