LeBron James on Anthony Davis: ‘He’s the face of the Lakers’

James is ready to pass the baton to Davis, who signed a contract extension to be the main figure of the organization

Davis recently signed a three-year, $186 million contract extension that will see him wear the purple and gold until 2028. Los Angeles wanted to send a clear message to their center, giving him the most lucrative annual deal in NBA history. with an average of 62 million dollars.

AD will earn $40.6 million in the 2023-24 campaign, $43.2 million in 2024-25, $57.6 million in 2025-26, $62.2 million in 2026-27 and $66.8 million in 2027-28, being one of the highest paid in the NBA.

“I’m very, very happy and extremely proud,” James told ESPN when asked about Davis’ deal. “It’s great to see him get that extension to be a part of the franchise for years and years and years. And so far it’s been a pleasure to play alongside him and I hope we can do great things.”

Davis, despite his continued discomfort, averaged 25.9 points per game, 12.5 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 56.3% shooting from the field in 56 games during the 2022-23 regular season, being very important in the three playoff series that the Lakers played against the Memphis Grizzlies, Golden State Warriors and Denver Nuggets.