The future of the Los Angeles Lakers franchise beyond LeBron James got a little clearer when Anthony Davis decided to sign a three-year extension this past August.
Davis is coming off one of the best years of his career and he was rewarded with a lucrative deal that ties him to the Lakers until 2028. The star big man proved he could lead the team with James off the floor and the organization should be thrilled with how he’s assumed more leadership responsibilities.
After the signing was made official, Rob Pelinka emphasized that the decision to re-commit to him had more to do with his character than his talent, via Spectrum SportsNet:
“Jeanie and Darvin and I were just probably the most excited to just get Anthony’s perspective about what it means to do an extension like this and to become a leader of the Lakers for years to come. And for us in our conversations with him it was really centered around his character. Who he is as a person, how he treats his teammates, his commitment to wanting to be the hardest worker and just helping establish our culture with that. Clearly, he’s one of the game’s most dominant two-way players but to see his desire to kind of take on those leadership reins was significant to us to have those conversations with him.”
Pelinka and the front office made a concerted effort to keep the continuity on the roster and he acknowledged that Davis is the focal point of that strategy:
“Yeah, I think we talked a lot after the trade deadline last year about the concept of pre-agency and really starting out work early. And then we wanted to lean in to the continuity of this team. What we were able to accomplish down the stretch, we wanted to improve around the edges but clearly extending Anthony Davis is at the core of that continuity. He’s a pillar of the franchise and again just an exciting day for us to be able to know we can build around him for years to come.”
Having a superstar as a team’s foundation is a luxury not everyone gets, so Los Angeles is fortunate to have Davis in the purple and gold. With him and most of last season’s roster back, the Lakers look poised to make a real run at a title.
Anthony Davis ready to commit to playing for Team USA in 2024 Paris Olympics
Aside from L.A., Davis may also have plans to play more basketball next year. After James teased he’d like to play for Team USA in next year’s Paris Olympics, Davis was one of the players reported to have interest in committing as well.
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