Anthony Davis

Davis is one of the most decorated big men in modern NBA history, combining shot-blocking, rebounding, and scoring in a package that has produced ten All-Star selections, an NBA championship, and membership on the league's 75th Anniversary Team. Drafted first overall in 2012, he has played for New Orleans, the Lakers, Dallas, and Washington, collecting accolades at every stop while serving as a defensive anchor and offensive focal point. He has also won three gold medals with the United States senior national team.

Born Anthony Marshon Davis Jr. on March 11, 1993, in Chicago's Englewood neighborhood, Davis attended Perspectives Charter School, a math and science academy without a gymnasium. His middle school teams practiced at Second Presbyterian Church, and he was known as a small shooter who knocked down corner threes. He ended his freshman year at 6 feet 0 inches and experienced a dramatic growth spurt, reaching 6 feet 8 inches by the start of his junior year. Despite his family's consideration of transferring to a basketball powerhouse, Davis stayed at Perspectives, trusting that his talent would be seen regardless of competition level.

Davis played one season at the University of Kentucky, where he was named a first-team All-American, the Consensus National Player of the Year, USBWA National Freshman of the Year, NABC Defensive Player of the Year, and the Pete Newell Big Man Award winner. He led the NCAA in blocks, set Southeastern Conference and NCAA Division I freshman single-season blocked shots records, and anchored Kentucky to the 2012 national championship. He was named the Most Outstanding Player of the 2012 NCAA tournament.

The New Orleans Hornets selected Davis with the first overall pick in the 2012 NBA draft. That summer, he was named to the 2012 Olympic team, winning his first gold medal as a teenager. As a rookie, he earned All-Rookie First Team honors. In 2015, he became an All-Star for the first time and led the NBA in blocks per game. In 2017, he was named the All-Star Game MVP after scoring a then-record 52 points. In 2019, the Hornets traded him to the Los Angeles Lakers in exchange for a massive package of young players and draft picks.

With the Lakers, Davis won an NBA championship in the 2020 bubble and captured the inaugural NBA Cup in 2023. In February 2025, the Lakers traded him to the Dallas Mavericks in exchange for Luka Doncic, a transaction widely regarded as one of the most unexpected in American sports history. A year later, he was traded again, this time to the Washington Wizards. Throughout his career, he has earned four All-NBA First Team selections, three All-Defensive First Team nods, and five total All-Defensive honors.

Davis is a rare two-way big man who anchors defenses through rim protection, switchability, and help-side shot-blocking while operating as a primary offensive weapon. He scores in the post with soft touch, faces up from mid-range, and has extended his range to the three-point line. His pick-and-roll synergy with guards produces easy dunks and lobs, and his ability to handle the ball in transition allows him to initiate offense after defensive stops. Health has been his primary obstacle; seasons lost to injury have interrupted what could have been an even more decorated résumé. When healthy, he remains among the most impactful players in the league.

Davis enters the 2025–26 season with the Washington Wizards after championship runs in Los Angeles, blockbuster trades involving Doncic and other marquee names, and a career spanning New Orleans, LA, Dallas, and DC. His trophy case includes ten All-Star berths, an All-Star Game MVP, an NBA title, an NBA Cup, three Olympic gold medals, a FIBA World Cup gold, and membership on the NBA 75th Anniversary Team. He is also one of only eight players to achieve the basketball Triple Crown of an NCAA title, an NBA title, and an Olympic gold medal.