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“LeBron James and Anthony Davis are officially on vacation”: Both Lakers superstars will look to rehab and not join Team USA for this year’s Tokyo Olympics

Samir Mehdi
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“LeBron James and Anthony Davis are officially on vacation”: Both Lakers superstars will look to rehab and not join Team USA for this year’s Tokyo Olympics

Both LeBron James and Anthony Davis will not look to represent Team USA in this year’s Olympics after their first round loss to the Suns. 

Following the Los Angeles Lakers’ first round exit to the Phoenix Suns, both LeBron James and Anthony Davis will look to rehab rather than jump back onto the court for more competitive basketball. This was quite expected as the two superstars have struggled with injuries for the majority of the 2020-21 NBA season. 

LeBron James unfortunately caught the injury bug on the first game of the season as he sprained his right ankle in the Lakers season-opener against the Clippers. This injury is what necessitated his presence on the injury reports for nearly 50 days. Just when James was stringing together an MVP candidacy for himself, he sprained his ankle yet again mid-March against the Atlanta Hawks.

Also read: “We get paid to win and we didn’t win”: Luka Doncic beats up on himself following the Game 7 Mavericks loss to Kawhi Leonard and the Clippers

Anthony Davis on the other hand, had an aggravation of his Achilles midway through this season and came back onto the court towards the latter end of the regular season play. Though he did play up to the mark for those few games, it was clear in a couple plays here and there that he lost a step or two laterally and could not keep up on both ends of the floor. 

LeBron James and Anthony Davis will not be a part of the 2021 Team USA Olympics team. 

With superstars such as Jayson Tatum and Damian Lillard publicly claiming that it would be an honor to represent their country in the Olympics, LeBron James and Anthony Davis will look to rehab as they have officially withdrawn themselves from any inclusion in this year’s roster.

Also read: “Kawhi Leonard had one of the most historic performances in NBA history”: Clippers superstar puts himself alongside Steph Curry and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar following Game 7 win

The two were previously teammates on the now iconic 2012 roster that featured a rookie Anthony Davis and the reigning MVP in LeBron James. 

With Anthony Davis having strained his groin in the Lakers first round series against the Phoenix Suns, it’s quite obvious that he would not have taken to the court anytime soon. LeBron James will also look to get back to anywhere close to what he was last season, or as he would put it, 99.99%.

About the author

Samir Mehdi

Samir Mehdi

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Samir Mehdi is a senior strategist for the NBA division at The Sportsrush. Ever since he was 13 years old, he’s been obsessed with the game of basketball. From watching Kobe Bryant’s highlights on YouTube to now, analyzing and breaking down every single game on League Pass, Samir’s passion for the game is unwavering. He's a complete basketball junkie who not only breaks down current games but also keenly watches ones from the 60s’ and 70s’ while also reading comprehensive books on the history of the league. Samir’s life revolves around basketball and he hopes that shows in his work. Aside from work, he loves to spend time in the gym and with his friends at social gatherings.

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