Austin Reaves Expresses Appreciation For Anthony Davis

Friday night was an emotional one as Anthony Davis returned to Crypto.com Arena as a member of the Dallas Mavericks to face his former team, the Los Angeles Lakers.

Also, not to mention Luka Doncic taking on Dallas, who traded him without warning last year. So, every matchup between these two teams will be must-see television for the foreseeable future.

Davis missed a month of game action due to a calf strain before returning against L.A. and looking to re-establish himself as a two-way monster again. The Mavericks gave the Lakers a run for their money, but ultimately Doncic and Austin Reaves were too much to overcome in a 129-119 win for L.A.

After the game, Davis and Reaves met up to exchange jerseys, a sign of respect. The Lakers guard shared what it meant getting his former teammate’s jersey.

“I mean, he’s one of the best players to ever touch a basketball,” Reaves said of Davis. “So, I don’t know why he wanted my jersey. But for me to get his, is pretty fun. I got one the other night too. Yeah, Chris Paul, good player. I got a lot of love for AD, he’s a big reason that I’m where I’m at right now. From Day 1, he was telling me to be myself, don’t be anybody else, continue to work and really just be myself on the court. So, I owe him a lot, yeah, wish him nothing but the best.”

The former Lakers champion will presumably have his jersey retired one day, but his contributions to this franchise can not be forgotten. When Reaves was brought in as an undrafted rookie, both LeBron James and Davis immediately instilled confidence in him.

From that point on, the Arkansas native’s confidence only continued to grow. Now, it looks like Reaves is on an All-Star trajectory and Davis played a hand in his development.

Whether it is in Dallas or elsewhere, Davis deserves to be in a winning situation and help a team contend for titles. But, in the eyes of the Lakers, he is forever stamped for bringing a title in 2020, one of the most challenging years ever.

LeBron James discusses emotions of facing former teammates in Anthony Davis and coaches on Mavericks

The Mavericks have plenty of former Lakers on the roster and coaching staff. Anthony Davis is one, plus D’Angelo Russell, Max Christie, Jason Kidd, Frank Vogel and Phil Handry, so the connections run deep.

After the Lakers’ win, LeBron James talked about all the emotions seeing former teammates and coaches who have been a part of his tenure in Los Angeles.