It was one of the biggest nights in the legendary career of LeBron James, but his breaking of the NBA’s all-time scoring record came in a disappointing loss for the LA Lakers – and superstar teammate Anthony Davis had a very bizarre reaction.
Davis was well below his best – and looked almost completely disinterested – throughout their clash with the Thunder as James racked up points on his way to overtaking Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s record 38,337 points.
And when James reached the mark in the final seconds of the third quarter, Davis chose to remain seated on the bench and not clap – despite almost the entirety of the Crypto.com Arena standing to cheer one of the all-time greats breaking a 39-year record widely viewed as unbreakable.
Watch an average of 9 LIVE NBA Regular Season games per week on ESPN on Kayo Sports on ESPN on Kayo Sports. New to Kayo? Start your free trial now >
But he was able to shake off his disinterest to offer his teammate some praise.
Asked about LeBron, and his experience of playing together, Davis said: “It’s been great.
“He’s played a big part in the team’s success, a big part in my success. A leader in all kinds of ways in all kinds of ways, all kind of facets on and off the floor.
“He’s a great human being, family guy, check all the boxes. Definitely well deserved.
“He’s put a lot of blood, sweat and tears into this game and it was an honour to be able to witness it live.”