JJ Redick paid tribute to Anthony Davis as the Los Angeles Lakers prepared to play against the Dallas Mavericks.
Tonight marks one of the most anticipated features in recent memory, as the Los Angeles Lakers take on the Dallas Mavericks.
This is the first game between the two sides since the Bomshell trade sending Luka Doncic to the Lakers, and Anthony Davis to the Mavericks.
As such, tensions are high at the Crypto.com Arena. Luka Doncic is expected to play against his former team, and potentially get some revenge.
However, Anthony Davis is unlikely to put his Mavericks jersey on, as he is struggling with an injury. But that didn’t stop JJ Redick from speaking kindly about him.
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JJ Redick spoke to the media ahead of the Lakers-Mavericks fixture. When talking about Anthony Davis, Redick had nothing but kind words to say about him as a player and professional.
He added that for Davis to accept him as a coach despite having no coaching experience when he took the job last summer meant a lot to him.
“I’ll start with just the fact that I miss being around him every single day. He’s a fantastic human being and a wonderful teammate.”
“For a guy who is a superstar, who has been in the Olympics, and won the NBA Finals, he probably had a decent amount of skepticism with a coach who has never coached before…”
“For him to just accept me, and be open to a relationship and my coaching, was big time. It speaks a lot to who he is as a person. You certainly miss him as a player but… he’s just a pleasure to be around every day.
It’s good to see the relationship between Redick and Davis, at least on the former’s end. Hopefully, the two get the chance to chop it up after the game is over.
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Unfortunately, tonight’s showdown will go down without Anthony Davis. The former NBA champion sustained an injury early into his Mavericks stint.
However, the Lakers did pay tribute to him with a video package highlighting his best moments as a Laker. The player was then greeted with a raucous ovation from the Lakers fanbase.
It’s clear there are no hard feelings between Davis and the franchise, or the fanbase over the move. The Lakers just saw an opportunity to land a generational star who could lead their franchise for years to come.
The Los Angeles Lakers, at the time of this writing, are leading 28-20 as the game enters the second quarter. Luka Doncic has nine points, seven rebounds, and four assists already.
