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LeBron James Has Brutally Honest Reaction to Playing Against Anthony Davis

LeBron James faced Anthony Davis for the first time since the Davis-Luka Doncic trade.

Eva Geitheim

Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) and former Lakers forward Anthony Davis.
Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) and former Lakers forward Anthony Davis. / Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
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The top storyline of Wednesday's game between the Los Angeles Lakers and Dallas Mavericks naturally centered around Luka Doncic's return to Dallas, but the game also provided a reunion between the Lakers and Anthony Davis.

The Lakers got to face Davis for the first time since they traded him two months ago to the Mavericks to acquire Doncic. Though the two sides have faced off since the trade prior to Wednesday's game, Davis was injured and did not get to play against his former team in that game.

This time around, Davis did get to play, scoring 13 points with 11 rebounds and six assists in Dallas's 112–97 loss to Los Angeles. He also reunited with his former teammates, including LeBron James, who guarded him at points throughout the game.

After the game, James used the word "different" multiple times to describe playing against Davis.

"Different," LeBron said of facing Davis, via Spectrum SportsNet. "Different, obviously we had our own emotions built into it. It was just different, I think when he was in New Orleans ... I ain't got comfortable yet with him being on the other side."

Davis and James played on the Lakers together for five and a half seasons. They were the leaders of the team, and won a championship together in 2020. Though James has embraced Doncic, the team was still shocked to see Davis go, and on Wednesday, see him wearing another team's colors.

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Eva Geitheim
EVA GEITHEIM

Eva Geitheim is a contributor to the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. Prior to joining SI in December 2024, she wrote for Newsweek, Gymnastics Now and Dodgers Nation. A Bay Area native, she has a bachelor's in communications from UCLA. When not writing, she can be found baking or re-watching Gilmore Girls.

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