If there is anyone who understands an NBA star asking for a trade, it's Hall-of-Famer center Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Now, Anthony Davis is asking for a trade from the New Orleans Pelicans, and Abdul-Jabbar can understand where he's coming from.
After the 1974-75 campaign, Abdul-Jabbar asked the Milwaukee Bucks to deal him, and he ended up getting traded to the Los Angeles Lakers, where he proceeded to win five of his six championships.
“I understand what they’re doing,” Abdul-Jabbar said of Davis and players wanting to move, according to Michael Lee of The Athletic. “When you have the opportunity to play professional sports, there’s only so many things that you can get done, because that clock is always ticking. So, you’ve got to understand.
Davis is just 25 years old, but as Abdul-Jabbar says, the careers of professional athletes are fleeting:
“Jackie Robinson had a great quote. ‘Athletes die twice,'” said Abdul-Jabbar. “At first, you hit that point in your late 20s or late 30s, where it’s not going to happen anymore. That’s a death,” Abdul-Jabbar continued. “So you’ve got to understand that. Guys will do what they think is needed so that they can get the total satisfaction, because it’s not just about playing and making a salary. You want to show people that you’re contributing to a winning effort.”
Davis has been with the Pelicans for six-and-a-half years, having originally been drafted by the franchise back in 2012.
Over that time, Davis has made the playoffs just twice and has won just one postseason series, which occurred last year when the Pelicans swept the Portland Trail Blazers in the first round.
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