“I was a Huge, like, LeBron James Fan”: Anthony Davis Reveals How the Desire to Earn a Starting Spot Convinced Him to Join Kentucky

Anthony Davis was marveling at LeBron James way before he began his college and NBA journey. Initially, he wanted to join Ohio State University’s basketball program (which is in LBJ’s home state) because of his fascination with King James. The interest was mutual but Davis had to change his plans after he was issued a challenge.

On D’Angelo Russell’s The Backyard Podcast, Anthony Davis opened up about his thought process while choosing his preferred college destination before his professional journey began. While talking about his rise through the ranks after he hit a growth spurt before entering college, Davis touched upon what made him join Kentucky.

Anthony Davis highlights at Kentucky! pic.twitter.com/lpmN0easjc

— Courtside Films (@CourtsideFilms) September 22, 2020

After becoming the number one prospect in the country, every elite college program wanted to recruit him. Therefore, a mid-tier program like Ohio State University thought they had no chance but still tried their luck. Much to their surprise, their pitch worked on the man who could have elevated their basketball profile nationwide.

“I was a huge, like, LeBron James fan. That was like while growing up was like I had all the shoes. I wore 23…It drew me to want to go to Ohio State. You know obviously, he never been there but I know he support Ohio State,” disclosed Anthony Davis.

Therefore, AD “verbally” committed to Ohio State University, a team that Bron still supports in NCAA tournaments. However, his father implored him to explore top-ranked programs such as Kentucky, among others, because the ultimate goal was to make it to the NBA.

When the top prospect visited Kentucky, he had already made up his mind to join Ohio State University. As he walked out with a firm head, Kentucky coach John Calipari challenged the big man. He told Davis that unlike in Ohio State University where he would be a surefire starter, he will not be “guaranteed” a starting spot for the Wildcats and would have to earn it.

This challenge sparked a fire in AD who wanted to prove to Calipari that he was certainly a starter. The big man wanted to prove that he could become dominant for one of the best programs in college history. And surely, he lived up to the hype surrounding him.

Anthony Davis was a two-way mammoth for Kentucky

Davis had entered the Kentucky Wildcats program with a lot of expectations. He had joined future NBA-bound players such as Terrence Jones, Marquis Teague, Darius Miller, and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist. There was not a chance that AD would have played with similar talent in Ohio. As a freshman, he was dominant on both ends and scooped up 14.2 points, 10.4 rebounds, 4.7 blocks, and 1.2 steals per game on 62.3% shooting.

He nabbed the SEC Player, Freshman, and Defensive Player of the Year honors. More than these honors, Davis helped his Kentucky Wildcats win the NCAA title. The choice to stick with Wildcats paid off for the Forward who wouldn’t get the taste of winning a championship till 2020. Poetically, he did so with his idol while playing for the big market of the Los Angeles Lakers.