All eyes in the basketball world are on Los Angeles. On one side of the Staples Center are LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and the Lakers. On the other, are the Clippers, who shocked the world by signing Kawhi Leonard and acquiring Paul George via trade. But before Kawhi settled on the Clippers, the Lakers were in serious contention for his services. During a Tuesday appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live! AD talked about what could have been, had the Lakers acquired Kawhi.
"You could have marked it up as champions right there," Davis said.
There have been several reported reasons as to why Kawhi didn't choose the Lakers. Some analysts believe Leonard didn't like the idea of forming a super team after proving he could win a ring alone in Toronto. Others suggested that Magic Johnson botched the Lakers' chances by disclosing details of their closed-door meeting to the press. While fans may never know why Kawhi coaxed the Clippers into trading for George and signed with the franchise, AD told Kimmel that he's not upset about Leonard's decision
"I'm never disappointed for another man," Davis said before touching on the wave of excitement that surrounds basketball in Los Angeles.
"The Staples Center is going to be a lot of fun this year," he said. "Obviously we brought a lot of excitement back to the Lakers organization...and every night going into the Staples—especially against the Clippers—is going to be a battle. We're excited about it."
Davis knows all too well how competition can foster greatness. During a conversation with Complex, AD explained how trying out for an AAU team where every player was better than him at the time helped him embrace the challenge of working hard.
