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LeBron Leaves Passionate Parting Message for Anthony Davis on Social Media After Trade

James left a tribute post to Anthony Davis following the Lakers shocking trade.

Eva Geitheim

Los Angeles Lakers forward Anthony Davis (3) and forward LeBron James.
Los Angeles Lakers forward Anthony Davis (3) and forward LeBron James. / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
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LeBron James was reportedly stunned when the Los Angeles Lakers sent shockwaves across the NBA by trading Anthony Davis to the Dallas Mavericks for Luka Doncic. James and Davis have been teammates over the last five and a half seasons on the Lakers, and brought the team their most recent championship back in 2020. Now, the duo will part ways without either player having seen the move coming.

On Sunday, James posted a tribute to Davis on his Instagram story. The story featured a picture of James and Davis hugging with a teary-eye emoji over the photo. James added the caption: "Love you my dog! Go crazy over there!! Woe 4L. See you soon."

This is James's second post after the trade. His first post came after CBS reporter Bill Reiter said after the trade that James had become frustrated with Davis. James shut down that narrative with a tweet: "You a fkn lie!!!"

Per Dave McMenamin of ESPN, James was out at dinner with his family when the news of the trade broke. James was processing the trade and had no idea it was happening. Both Doncic and Davis were reportedly also unaware of the trade being a possibility.

Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka also addressed Davis leaving the franchise in a statement released by the organization earlier on Sunday. "We are overwhelmingly thankful for AD's six seasons with the Lakers, where he led our franchise to a championship and cemented himself as a perennial NBA All-Star," Pelinka said of Davis.

After their win at Madison Square Garden on Saturday before the trade, the Lakers next play this Tuesday. James will likely further speak publicly about the trade to the media on that day, along with his teammates and coaches.

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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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