Tuesday night was one to celebrate at Crypto.com Arena with Pau Gasol getting his No. 16 jersey retired and Anthony Davis leading the Los Angeles Lakers to a victory over the Grizzlies.
The night was absolutely about Gasol, who finally got enshrined with the other Lakers greats after helping lead the organization to two championships alongside Kobe Bryant in 2009 and 2010.
Perhaps Davis took motivation from seeing another great big man honored like that as he had one of his best games of the season, posting 30 points, 22 rebounds, three assists and two blocks in the 112-103 victory.
Davis is starting to create a great legacy of his own in a Laker uniform, and after the game he revealed that when he spoke with Gasol, he told him he wants to have his No. 3 jersey retired one day as well.
“Yeah, I actually told Pau [Gasol] I want to hopefully be up there as well,” Davis said. “That’s a huge honor to be up there with the greats and he deserves it to be up there with the list of big men that came through the organization and dominated and left their mark. It’s hard not to think about it. Obviously, I want to be in that category and in that group, and whenever my body tells me that I’m done playing, hopefully I’m able to come back here and have a ceremony that Pau and the rest of the big men and other former Lakers have had.
“It’s truly an honor for him. I got to see Marc [Gasol] as well. I’m happy for him. Grateful to be a part of this organization that has had so many great talents come through here.”
Davis is certainly well on his way to getting his jersey retired with the Lakers as he won a championship in his first season with the team in 2019-20. The Lakers also require players to make the Hall of Fame to get their jersey retired, and Davis is well on his way to that as well considering he is an eight-time All-Star and four-time All-NBA member before turning 30.
For now though, the focus for Davis and the Lakers is getting back into championship contention this season. He has been key in the team’s recent turnaround, surging at the right time. If he is able to bring another championship to L.A. then it will be a certainty that his jersey will eventually join Gasol and the other legends in the Crypto.com Arena rafters.
Russell targeting return on Friday against Raptors
One key component of the Lakers getting back into contention is getting their injured players healthy, and it appears one is on the verge of returning.
Darvin Ham reported after Tuesday night’s game that D’Angelo Russell is targeting a return on Friday against the Toronto Raptors. Russell has missed the last six games due to an ankle sprain, and the Lakers will surely welcome their starting point guard back to the lineup if he is indeed ready to go on Friday.
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