Los Angeles Lakers star Anthony Davis suffered what was, at the time, a scary-looking injury to the head in Game 5 against the Golden State Warriors. Davis received what appeared to be a hit above the eye to the temple area from Kevon Looney in the fourth quarter of the Lakers’ Game 5 loss and was removed from the game.
Davis would miss the rest of the game and would undergo the necessary testing for concussion protocol. But some of the big controversy took place in the hours following the game, when multiple television analysts — from Shaquille O’Neal to Stephen A. Smith — laughed at Davis for suffering an injury, a frequent occurrence whenever Davis has any kind of ailment.
The behavior from the analysts was shameful and Smith has since apologized for his commentary. But one of the first people to come to Davis’ defense was Warriors forward Draymond Green. In Green’s post-Game 5 podcast, he spoke about Davis’ injury and why it’s no laughing matter, via The Volume Sports:
“We all heard the news about (Davis). Also recently just heard that he’s expected to play (in Game 6), which I’m happy about. You never want to play against a team not at their best. And also, just don’t play with those head injuries. They’re serious. I saw a lot of people laughing, but it’s a hit to the head. And one small hit to the head can change everything in your life, so I don’t really understand the joke. Every time you step out on the basketball court, the football field, out on the ice or the pitch, you’re risking your life because one injury can change everything. Not this World Cup, but the World Cup before, Neymar had an injury to his back that almost paralyzed him. And so, I don’t quite understand the laughing. Why is it so funny? The smallest hit to the wrong part of your head can change your life.”
Fortunately, as Green says, Davis is considered probable for Game 6 and figures to take the court as the Lakers attempt to close out the series in Los Angeles on Friday night. But things could have been far worse for the superstar center.
And Green — who is a notorious aggravator — could have easily joined in the laughter or ignored it altogether given that it’s about an opponent. But he came to Davis’ defense, even saying that he’s happy to see Davis back in the Lakers lineup.
Now, Lakers fans have to wait and see how Davis looks when he takes the floor in a potential close-out game.
LeBron James: Game 6 will show what Lakers are made of
After the Lakers first round series against the Memphis Grizzlies, LeBron James said that the team viewed Game 6 as if it were a Game 7 given that they would have had to return to Memphis for the series-deciding game if it came to that. They’re facing the same situation here.
“Friday is another opportunity for us to see where we are, to see what we’re made of, and to go out there with I guess the grit and the fight that we’ve had since we came together after the All-Star break, very resilient team, and we respond well to adversity, and we look forward to that, to getting an opportunity to play again on Friday.”
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