LeBron James and Anthony Davis may no longer be teammates after the bombshell trade in February that sent the latter to the Dallas Mavericks in exchange for Luka Doncic, but the bond they forged during their time together on the Los Angeles Lakers remains strong as ever. This was very much apparent in the way Davis reacted to James' Instagram post flexing his latest achievement — making it to the Hall of Fame as a member of the 2008 Team USA squad that won gold in Beijing, the famous “Redeem Team”.
The Mavericks star, who remains close friends with James and looks likely to remain as such until their final breaths, fired up a strong reaction to James' post.
“ELITE!!!!” Davis commented.
Indeed, there are scarcely any words anyone could use to better describe James and his professional basketball career. The word “elite”, in fact, doesn't come close to describing the incredible heights he's reached throughout his career — and it's not as if he's done writing the story of his career just yet considering how he remains a top-15 to top-20 player in the NBA even though he's pushing 41 years of age.
For Davis, it has to be surreal to have experienced teaming up with James for over five seasons, with only a shocking trade causing the two to part ways. The Lakers did achieve a lot of things with James and Davis leading the way, most notably winning the NBA title in 2020, that, no matter how many detractors there may be, stands as a legitimate championship.
Words must also escape the Mavericks star, especially when it's not too often that one receives enshrinement into the Hall of Fame even though they're still at, or at least near, the top of their game — which is where James currently stands.
Anthony Davis charts a new path with the Mavericks
This may be not how Davis planned it, but he welcomed a trade to the Mavericks since day one — especially with Dallas having the centers he so desperately wanted to play alongside. Of course, his first few months as a Maverick did not go according to plan, as he suffered an injury that kept him out for a considerable period of time, and it resulted in Dallas missing out on the playoffs entirely.
In 2025, however, the Mavericks have a fresh start. They have Cooper Flagg ready to seize the reins, and they have a deep team — making them a sleeper pick in the West especially once Kyrie Irving returns from injury.
