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Anthony Davis gets candid on villain status with Pelicans

Originally posted on NBA on ClutchPoints
By Josue Pavon, ClutchPoints | Last updated Apr 8, 2026 7:17 PM ET

Nearly a decade removed from his exit, Washington Wizards’ Anthony Davis revealed a lot about his time with the New Orleans Pelicans. From the number one overall pick in the 2012 draft to becoming a villain amidst a handful of trying years, Davis opened up about the backlash he received after demaning the Pelicans front office to improve its roster. Telling his story alongside Golden State Warriors veteran Draymond Green.

Davis says speaking out led to Pelicans fans turning on him once the writing was on the wall that he was heading out, he said, per The Draymond Green Show.

“I genuinely want to win. So now, because I want to win, I’m considered a villain to this team,” Davis said. “And to this fanbase. To this day, I go back, and they still boo me [in New Orleans].”

To which Green pointed at the lack of success the Pelicans have seen since Davis left.

“That’s why they still losing,” Green said. “You don’t boo the best player in your franchise history, you appreciate em.”

Davis would go onto win his first championship with the Los Angeles Lakers in 2020.

Why Anthony Davis refuses potential Pelicans reunion

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On the subject of a potential return to the team that drafted him, Wizards’ Anthony Davis says a Pelicans reunion is out of the question. While Davis ranked his top candidates for MVP, he also had time to talk about why he’ll never wear a Pelicans uniform again.

Davis revealed how the final straw from the Pelicans led to him never wanting to return to play for New Orleans again.

“When I went back, I did not get a tribute, and that was the final straw. Never got a tribute,” Davis said. “I told (Gayle) Benson right before the deadline when I was asking for a trade… I told her, ‘This might not be the end, though. Later on in my career, who knows if I was to come back and we try to do something special as I’m older…’ When I went back that first game and got no tribute, I said ‘Oh, that door is closed.’”

Davis was traded to the Wizards ahead of this year’s deadline.

This article first appeared on NBA on ClutchPoints and was syndicated with permission.

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