Anthony Davis was given a gift by LeBron James, an opportunity to wear the legendary no.23 for the Lakers. However, one brand had other ideas. The Lakers were close to getting an AD with no.23 on his back.
Advertisement
There are circumstances and “what ifs” in the NBA. Every player, retired or playing will tell you about the implications of these “what ifs”. One such “what if”, is when Anthony Davis could have been wearing the no.23 for the Lakers.
Superstition or not, a player’s jersey no. determines his legacy. Ask Michael Jordan or Kobe Bryant. Every player becomes iconic thanks to their jersey no.
AD had a unique opportunity, a passing of the torch in real life. LeBron James, the second most famous player to adorn the no.23, was ready to hand it over to Davis. But their sponsor had other ideas.
Anthony Davis reveals how Nike blocked his switch to no.23
When the Lakers finally pulled the trigger for Anthony Davis, one thing was certain, a championship. And they did deliver it, in quite a fashion.
The 2020 NBA championship might have claims of illegitimacy and whatnot, but it is still a championship nonetheless. And Davis wore the legendary no.3 jersey. But it could have been different.
LeBron welcomed AD’s arrival to LA with a gift, that he could now wear the no.23 for the Lakers. It was a big deal. However, Nike, the brand that has a massive $165 billion in market capitalization had other things to say.
Nike poured too much money into LeBron James’ no.23 campaign
Nike on the other hand had poured way too much money into the campaign. And they directly denied AD the opportunity. As both, LeBron and AD were Nike athletes, the company had a final say.
Davis revealed this in a segment on Jimmy Kimmel. Since then, he has won the championship with the no.3 and he won’t be looking to switch for a while.
He has even said he wants to retire the no.3 for the Lakers. Bold ambitions, but given his talent, it is certainly not out of reach. You can watch his reveal right here.
