Lakers star Anthony Davis shot down any further talk of his subdued reaction to the record-breaking moment for teammate LeBron James on Tuesday night, saying that his less-than-enthusiastic demeanor was the result of how the game was playing out.
Davis appeared to have a rather curious response after James made NBA history when he sank a fadeaway jump shot in the closing seconds of the third quarter to break Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s record and become the league’s all-time leading scorer. While the rest of his Lakers teammates were on their feet to watch the historic moment, Davis remained seated and didn’t seem to share the same exuberance that just about everyone else in Crypto.com Arena felt at witnessing the latest instance of greatness from James.
The reaction from the Lakers big man sparked plenty of speculation on social media about the state of the relationship between the two stars, but Davis quashed any notion of tension, explaining that he was simply frustrated that the team was losing to the Thunder.
“Y’all know me and Bron’s relationship,” Davis said, per Kyle Goon. “It’s nothing. [I was] upset about the game. We were losing to the Oklahoma City Thunder, a game we needed and I was pissed off that we were losing. It’s that simple. It’s nothing that has to do with Bron and he knows that.
“Everyone else on the outside looking in, that’s their opinion but I was pissed off that we were losing the game.”
Davis did record a heartfelt message for James that played after the Abdul-Jabbar’s mark fell.
“I just wanna say congrats on breaking the record, No. 1 all-time in scoring. This probably gotta be up there with your championships and gold medals and things,” Davis said in the video. “I’m truly honored to be watching it as a fan, watching it as a friend, being a part of it as a teammate and I know it’s a huge accomplishment for you. Congrats again brother.”
Still, that general frustration likely lingered for Davis as the Lakers lost 133–130 to the Thunder, despite James’s efforts. Los Angeles also dropped another game on Thursday to the Bucks, sinking the group to 25–31 on the year and 13th place in the Western Conference.
