“Goal is to get 3 in the rafters”: Anthony Davis desires to see his name along the likes of Shaquille O’ Neal, Kobe Bryant and other Laker legends at the Staples Center

2020 NBA champion Anthony Davis clarifies why he wouldn’t change his jersey number to LeBron James’ old number 23.

The LA Lakers had to put a lot on the table to acquire Davis from the New Orleans Pelicans. NBA superstar LeBron James played a major role in bringing the 8x NBA All-Star to Laker Nation.

During his 7 seasons with the Pelicans, Davis wore the number 23 on his jersey. While his teammate LeBron James ironically shares the same jersey number.

Thus, when the Pelicans’ deal came through, LeBron decided to gift his jersey number to Davis, while he would go back wearing the number 6, which he wore during his stint with the Miami Heat.

However, LeBron couldn’t honor his commitment since Nike cited production issues and massive financial losses.

Also read: “Dennis Schroder demands $100-120M in free agency”: The Lakers guard has controversially set the price high to remain alongside LeBron James and Anthony Davis

Anthony Davis to continue with jersey number 3, not take on number 23 worn by LeBron James

Post the Lakers’ first-round elimination in the 2021 NBA Playoffs. LeBron James announced he would wearing number 6 on his jersey for the upcoming 2021-22 NBA season.

This led to speculation that AD would be going back to his original plan of wearing number 23. However, Davis later clarified that he would continue wearing his current number in the hope to see it retire at the rafters of the Staples Center.

“Goal is to get 3 in the rafters, not going back to 23,” Davis said.

Davis finalized a 5-year contract worth up to $190 million in December 2020. The former All-Star MVP committed to the Lakers through the 2024-25 season.

In only his first year with the Lakers, Davis won an NBA championship. The former NCAA champion was nothing but sensational in the 2020 Orlando Bubble.

In the 28-games that Davis played in the 2020 Orlando Bubble, he averaged 26.2 PPG, 9.4 RPG, and 3.6 assists per game. Anthony Davis was an efficient  53.8% from the field and averaged 1.4 blocks per game.

Davis also earned a spot in the All-NBA First Team and All-NBA First Defensive team in his first season with the LA Lakers.

Also Read: “Anthony Davis is an NBA MVP-caliber player”: Lakers assistant coach Phil Handy lauds The Brow while talking about his potential 

Though AD had a disappointing 2020-21 NBA season due to the umpteen number of injuries he sustained that robbed the Lakers of repeating as champions.

There is no denying that Davis is a top 5 player when healthy. The Lakers definitely have plans with AD going forward with the franchise.