New Orleans Pelicans forward Anthony Davis has established himself as one of the best players in the NBA. A strong presence in the paint, excellent ball skills, and a smooth stroke — Davis has it all. However, what hoops fans might not know is that he currently owns the highest season opener scoring average among active players.

In the six season openers he's suited up for over the course of his career, Davis has managed to average 28.0 points. The players ahead of Davis in this category are all NBA legends, including Jerry West, Dominique Wilkins, Wilt Chamberlain, and Michael Jordan.

In a recent interview with ESPN's Brian Windhorst, Davis noted that he would like for the Pelicans to be championship contenders year in and year out.

“When you look at LeBron (James), every year you know he's going to be great and his team is going to have a chance to win the title,” Anthony Davis told ESPN. “From here on out, I want to be in that conversation every year. Not every other year. Not every few years. Every year. If that's going to happen, we're going to have to win, and I'm going to have to be the most dominant player.

“I want to be the best player. I want to be in the playoffs. I want them to be talking about me as an MVP candidate,” Davis added. “I don't want there to be any questions anymore about AD.”

Davis, now 25 years of age, made 75 appearances with the Pelicans during their 2017-18 regular season campaign, racking up averages of 28.1 points on 53.4 percent shooting from the field (34.0 percent from beyond the arc), 11.1 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 2.6 blocks (career-high), and 1.5 steals in 36.4 minutes per outing.

Davis and the Pelicans will kick off the 2018-19 regular season with a match-up against the Houston Rockets on Wednesday night. Tip-off inside the Toyota Center is set for 8:00 p.m. EST with ESPN having live broadcast coverage.