Anthony Davis was not kind to the New Orleans Pelicans

With no basketball games to watch or draft/free agency buzz to worry about, we are officially at the dog days of the NBA cycle. And while this period of time is far from the most entertaining part of the year, it does give us a chance to remember some moments in New Orleans Pelicans’ history.

You all probably remember the whole Anthony Davis trade request fiasco (hell, some of you may still have nightmares about it). Well, eventually, the situation was resolved, as Davis was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers in a mega deal that netted us our star forward Brandon Ingram (among other things). After that, all was well and good. Right?

Not exactly. It seems that, even after honoring his trade request, Davis still had a bone to pick with the Pelicans. And he made sure to make them well aware of his grudge when he returned to New Orleans for the first time since being traded to the Lakers.

It wasn’t necessarily anything that he said. But rather, it was what he did. After all, actions speak louder than words. And on November 27, 2019, Davis’ actions spoke louder than someone talking on the world’s largest megaphone.

In 37 minutes of action, Davis posted 41 points, nine rebounds, one assist, three steals, and one block on 15 of 30 shooting from the floor en route to a 114-110 victory.

But maybe it was just a coincidence that he had his then career-high as a Laker against his old team. Maybe they just caught Davis on an extra hot night.

That could be a plausible theory. However, only a month and a half later (January 3rd, 2020), Davis found a way to one-up his previous performance when he hosted his old crew at his new home. That night Davis scored 46 points, grabbed 13 rebounds, tallied three steals, and rejected one shot in 38 minutes to contribute to a 123-113 victory over the Pelicans.

Davis “only” scored 21 points the next time he played our Pelicans, but the damage had already been done. The message had already been sent.

The funny part about all of it, though, was that Davis is the one who requested the trade and got moved to his preferred destination. You think that, given those circumstances, he’d take it a little easier on his old team. But I guess it doesn’t matter. The greats will always find ways to get themselves motivated to keep being great.