Anthony Davis saw his offseason begin a lot sooner than he'd have liked, as the Los Angeles Lakers lost in the first round to the Denver Nuggets in five games. It seems one of the first things the nine-time All-Star has done since his season ended, was get a new back tattoo.
It was quite a detailed one, with images of a younger Davis when he was with Kentucky to go with the 2012 NCAA title and the Larry O'Brien trophy he won with the Lakers. The phrase "started with a dream" is written on top as well. NBA fans had some interesting reactions to Davis getting this tattoo.
One joked that Davis is now out till October due to back inflammation.
A fan liked the tattoo.
One wanted Davis to work on his game instead of wasting time getting tattoos.
A fan ruthlessly asked if Davis had to leave in a wheelchair afterward.
One said this was better than LaMelo Ball's tattoo.
I think that's a fairly good tattoo for Davis and it's certainly better than LaMelo's. I also think fans are being a bit too harsh on him for taking a bit of a break here following a long and hard season. He has more than earned some time off.
This is not the first tattoo Davis has gotten. Shortly after Kobe Bryant's tragic passing in a helicopter crash, he got one on his thigh to honor the Lakers icon.
Vanessa Aurelia was the one who designed this Kobe tattoo and she had made one for LeBron James as well. Davis chose to have Steve Wiebe design the latest one, though, and he had worked with the likes of Kevin Durant, Damian Lillard, and Jayson Tatum in the past as well.
Davis also has a tattoo honoring his grandfather, Lamont Eberhardt, on his right arm. On his left forearm, the 31-year-old has a picture of his daughter, Nala, and he has a few more as well on his body. Davis certainly loves himself some tattoos.
Anthony Davis Had His Best Season With The Lakers In Years In 2023-24
While the 2023-24 season ended in disappointment for Davis on a team level, it was a good one from an individual standpoint. He averaged 24.7 points, 12.6 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 1.2 steals, and 2.3 blocks per game.
Following all the talk about his inability to stay healthy in recent seasons, Davis also played a career-high 76 games in this campaign. The Lakers went 2-4 in the six games he missed and he was easily their most important player.
Even in that playoff series against the Nuggets, Davis played fairly well. He averaged 27.8 points, 15.6 rebounds, 4.0 assists, 0.4 steals, and 1.6 blocks per game.
The only knock on Davis was that he wasn't effective on offense down the stretch in a lot of those contests. That, though, was largely down to him not having much gas left in the tank after spending so much energy on the defensive end. It is not ideal by any means, but he certainly wasn't the one to blame for the Lakers bowing out early.
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