Lakers star LeBron James said he’s more than happy to let teammate Anthony Davis take the lead and be the No. 1 option.
“I know who I am, he knows who he is,” James told Dave McMenamin of ESPN. “So, there’s no friction. We’re not trying to compete with one another on the court or on a lifestyle basis. He knows who he is, I know who I am.
“The only thing we’re trying to do is hold each other accountable when we get to work and try to be the best we can be for each other, and when one is not going well, try to pick each other up. There’s no jealousy. There’s not a jealous bone in our bodies. We’re never jealous of one another. Ever.”
On Saturday, Davis delivered, erupting for 41 points and 20 rebounds in the In-Season Tournament championship win over the Pacers, as relayed by our Brandon Santomauro.
- McMenamin pointed out that James has now been playing alongside Davis for five years, longer than Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh as a member with the Heat, and longer than Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love while with the Cavaliers.
- Davis was equally complimentary of James. “He’ll say things like, ‘Let’s get AD going.’ Or, ‘Run this for AD,'” Davis said, via McMenamin. “He’s doing a good job of making sure that I get my touches to have an opportunity to take over ballgames like tonight. So, he’s been in my corner through the ups and downs and the indifferent. He’s always been a guy who I can count on, who I can lean on for advice, or he just knows.”
- Guard Austin Reaves delivered in a big way, finishing with 28 points on 9-of-15 shooting. This despite feeling under the weather. “Who had the better flu game: AR or (Michael Jordan)? It’s up for debate,” James yelled in the locker room, per Jovan Buha of The Athletic.
- In case you missed it, James mentioned that this Lakers team will go down in history as champs of the first In-Season Tournament. You can read that full story here.
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