Anthony Davis was a number one draft pick heading into the NBA and has racked up countless accolades over the past decade in the league, including a championship title with the Los Angeles Lakers in 2020 and nine total NBA All-Star Game appearances. But despite all his hard work on the court, the 31-year-old star has never been given the NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award. At this point, Davis feels that it's an honor he'll never receive.
On April 21, the three finalists for this year's award were revealed to be Bam Adebayo, Victor Wembanyama, and Rudy Gobert. When speaking to ESPN after the names were revealed, Davis reckoned with the reality that he seemingly won't ever get that recognition.
"I'll never get it," Davis said honestly. "They're not giving it to me. The league doesn't like me. I'm the best defensive player in the league. I can switch [positions] 1 through 5. I can guard the pick-and-roll the best in the league, from a big standpoint. I block shots. I rebound."
"I don't know what else to do. I'm over it," he continued. "I'm just going to do what I got to do to help the team win and try to play for a championship. Accolades and individual awards, I'm done with those."
It should be noted that the media and not the league itself votes on the NBA's individual awards. Davis' peers, however, also seemingly don't regard him as an accomplished defender; according to an anonymous player poll conducted by The Athletic, he didn't even make the top 15 best defenders in the league today.
Davis' plan to keep his head down and continue putting in the work is apparently the most he can do. The Lakers are currently facing off this week in a series against the Denver Nuggets in round one of the playoffs.
from Men's Journal https://ift.tt/sXO8u17
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