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FILE – Los Angeles Lakers’ LeBron James and Anthony Davis react during the second quarter against the Miami Heat in Game One of the 2020 NBA Finals on September 30, 2020 in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. Kevin C. Cox / Getty Images / AFP
LeBron James believes that the absence of jealousy in the locker room is the key to his successful association with Anthony Davis as the Los Angeles Lakers pounce on a record 17 NBA championships.
Davis joined the Lakers last year from the New Orleans Pelicans and has played a crucial role in guiding the team back to the NBA Finals for the first time in 10 years after missing the playoffs in 2018-2019.
On Wednesday, Davis stood out with 34 points, nine rebounds and five assists as the Lakers dropped the Miami Heat 116-98 in a blowout in the first game.
James, meanwhile, added 25 points, 13 rebounds and nine assists in a dominant performance against his former team to open the best-of-seven series.
The James-Davis double act has provided the Lakers with the strongest lynchpin on the team since Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal led the team to three consecutive NBA titles between 2000 and 2002.
But while Bryant and O’Neal’s relationship was affected by tension, James says his association with Davis couldn’t be more different.
“We are not jealous of each other,” James said Thursday. “I think that’s for the best. In professional sports, you have guys who join forces to become alpha males. This is what they call them.
“Two guys that have been dominant in a specific sport on their own respective teams, and they get together and talk about how dominant they can be and talk about this is going to be this and that.
‘Jealousy creeps in’
“I think jealousy creeps a lot. And that is the complete opposite of who we are. We know who we are. We know what it is about. We really want the best every day, both on and off the track, for each other. “
Davis, 27, agreed, saying he had never considered the possibility that locker room envy could destabilize the Lakers locker room.
“The idea never crossed my mind when the exchange happened,” Davis said. “I’m not jealous of him. He’s not jealous of me. I think it shows on the court.
“When you have two guys who are very selfless and want to earn as much as we both want, the rest disappear and take care of itself.”
Davis said a free flow of ideas and opinions characterized his association with James.
“We hold each other accountable,” Davis said. “When we watch a movie or even during the course of a game, if I did something wrong, it tells me.
“If he does something wrong, I tell him. I think that’s what makes it tick, knowing that we trust each other to read, to make calls.
“We can talk to each other. Some guys on some teams are afraid to jump on the star player. Our team, a boy can say something to another boy, and we know it comes from a great place and we know it comes from a boy who wants to win.
Davis, however, admits to envy James’ three NBA championship rings.
“I want a ring and he has three,” Davis said. “That would be the only thing I’d be jealous of … I hope I don’t have to be envious for much longer.”
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