Despite contradicting reports, LeBron James appears to be gutted by the loss of longtime teammate Anthony Davis. Following the Los Angeles Lakers' groundbreaking trade with the Dallas Mavericks, James sent his friend a heartwarming departing message on social media.

James bid his now-former running mate farewell on his Instagram story. He posted a picture of the two embracing on the court and captioned it with his personal message to Davis.

“Love you my dog!!” James wrote. “Go crazy over there! Woe 4L! See you soon.”

James and Davis spent five and a half years together in Los Angeles, winning an NBA title in 2020. They formed a close bond as teammates. Davis' friendship with James led to a relationship with the latter's entire family, including Bronny James, whom he would become teammates with in 2024.

Davis joined the Lakers during the 2019 offseason via trade from the New Orleans Pelicans after a series of dramatic negotiations. James notoriously pushed the Los Angeles front office to pursue a trade for Davis. The Pelicans, however, refused to trade Davis at the 2019 trade deadline, causing both teams to end the 2018-2019 season in a rut. The following summer, the inevitable deal finally went through.

Since then, Davis and James have formed one of the best duos in the league. While underachieving at times, both existed on the Lakers as consensus top 10 players in the NBA at the beginning of their shared tenure. However, after claiming a ring in their first year together, they failed to get back to the NBA Finals over the next four years.

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While the LeBron James-Anthony Davis era concluded at the 2025 trade deadline, a potentially deadly new pairing has just begun. James will now end the 2024-2025 season with star point guard Luka Doncic by his side, who will inarguably be the best point guard he has ever shared a court with.

For the first time in his 21-year career, James is arguably not the best player on his team. Doncic, who has been named an All-Star in five of his six years in the NBA and is the reigning league scoring champion, enters Los Angeles just eight months after leading the Mavericks to a Western Conference title and a 2024 NBA Finals appearance.

James and Doncic's similar play styles have led to comparisons since the latter debuted in the league. Doncic does not have the athleticism or size of James but provides better three-point shooting.

With Doncic, the Lakers' 2025 championship odds shot up in the betting market. As of Feb. 2, Los Angeles now has the third-best odds to win the Western Conference, behind just the Oklahoma City Thunder and Denver Nuggets. The Lakers have lost to the Nuggets in the playoffs in each of the previous two seasons.