LeBron James points out key to duo success with Anthony Davis: 'We are not jealous'

Anthony Davis and LeBron James in the NBA Finals

 

Whenever LeBron James and Anthony Davis enter the court, the show is guaranteed for the Los Angeles Lakers. It has been like that in the NBA playoffs, with at least 55 points from the pair per game. The two join forces again for game 2 of the final series against the Miami Heat at the Disney bubble in Orlando. LeBron James points out the key to the success of the partnership with Anthony Davis: the two know how to share the spotlight.

- We are not jealous of each other. I think it's the best thing. In professional sports, you have guys who join forces, you can call them alpha males. That's what they call them. Two guys who have been dominant in a specific sport on their respective teams, and they get together and talk about how they can be dominant. I believe that jealousy gets in the way. And that is the absolute opposite of what we are - said King James.

In game 1 of the final, Davis was the highlight of the Lakers' victory. With 34 points, the winger became the third best newcomer in NBA history finals, behind only Shaquille O'Neal (43 points) and George Mikan (42 points). LeBron also shone with a triple-double assist.

King James, incidentally, played a key role in negotiating for the Lakers to sign Anthony Davis this season after six years at the helm of the New Orleans Pelicans. The two had already played together in the American selection champion of the Olympics in 2012. One more reason to remove the jealousy of the relationship between the players.

- I'm not jealous of him, he's not jealous of me. I think it shows on the court. Obviously, this can always arise when you have two alpha males on the same team. But I think that when you have two guys who are very selfless and want to win as much as we both want, the rest will go away. Jealousy was never anyone's thing on our team,” Davis said.

Statements about the Lakers' absence of jealousy come days after a controversial speech by Kyrie Irving, LeBron's former teammate at Clevelando Cavaliers. In a podcast appearance, the player, who now defends the Brooklyn Nets, said that for the first time he will have Kevin Durant a teammate he can trust more than he trusts himself in terms of efficiency.

After a bad repercussion, Irving denied that the comment would be an indirect to LeBron, a provocation. King James, for his part, declined to comment on the statement of the former teammate, with whom he was champion in 2016.

This season, Anthony Davis is overtaking Kyrie Irving as LeBron James' best playoff mate. The Lakers player averages 29.1 points per post-season game, while Irving scored an average of 25.9 points in the 2017 playoffs.

- We know who we are. We know what we do. We want the best, seriously, every day, on and off the court, for each other. We are simply not jealous of each other. I think you align this with respect, I think the sky is the limit - said LeBron.

Comments