On Thursday night, LeBron James did not mince words in his comments.
James was interviewed on the court after the game for a segment that was broadcast on TNT. The game took place on Thursday night at Crypto.com Arena, and the Lakers defeated the Suns 100-95.
James, who is 38 years old, provided a pointed response when he was asked about people who had criticized his teammate Anthony Davis for his performance in the second half of their opening-night loss to the Nuggets.
“We couldn’t care less about the criticism regarding AD since we don’t give a s–t about it. Davis, who bounced back from a difficult performance in Game 1 with a great night against the Suns, was quoted by James as saying, “Nothing bothers us.” “AD does not care, and I’m not sure whether you guys have figured out that AD does not care, but AD does not care. Since he does not use social media, he is not exposed to any of the other garbage. He does not speak very often, except it is to us.
Therefore, we don’t give a rat’s behind about it. In no uncertain terms, he does not.
The 30-year-old Davis concluded the first game with 17 points and eight rebounds, but he was completely ineffective in the second half, going scoreless while shooting 0 for 6 from the floor.
During the postgame coverage that TNT provided, Charles Barkley brought up Davis after the game.
When he was in New Orleans, I made the comment that “this guy is going to be the best basketball player in the world in the next five years.” And I stand by that statement. Barkley added that his name is no longer brought up in conversations about the game’s most talented players. “He’s not even mentioned anymore,” “LeBron James has acknowledged in public that [Davis] is the new leader of the team. And you start to wonder when the light is going to go on because he [doesn’t] have to play great every night, but you can’t go an entire half without scoring.
On Thursday, Davis responded well to the challenge posed by Phoenix by scoring 30 points, grabbing 12 rebounds, making three blocks, stealing three balls, and assisting two other players.
In particular, he showed his true colors in the second half by scoring 19 points.