Los Angeles Lakers' Anthony Davis: Chicago shaped me as a player
Sunday 16 February 2020 12:06, UK
Los Angeles Lakers' Anthony Davis paid tribute to the role the city of Chicago played in his development as he returned to his home town for the All-Star Game.
The 69th All-Star Game takes place at the United Center, home of the Chicago Bulls, in the early hours of Monday morning (1am), live on Sky Sports Arena.
Davis lines up on Team LeBron to take on Team Giannis in the showpiece event, rounding off a busy return to his native Chicago.
His All-Star weekend included a stop at the Louis L Valentine Boys & Girls Club on Chicago's south side on Friday for a 2K Foundations event, he participated in a ribbon-cutting ceremony for a refurbished basketball court and buried a long three-pointer before visiting the facility's renovated game room.
"I think every Chicago musician, artist, professional athlete, we all kind of had that same motivation, had that same Chicago-themed style instilled in us," Davis said. "We've been the ones to kind of just go get it."
Live NBA: 69th All-Star Game
While Davis is a matchup nightmare on offense, the seven-time All-Star might be even more valuable to Los Angeles on the defensive side of the ball.
After hiring coach Frank Vogel in May and acquiring Davis in a three-team trade in July, the Lakers are allowing 107.3 points per game on 44.6 per cent shooting, bettering their defensive averages of 113.5 points and 45.2 per cent shooting from the previous season, but there may not be much of that on display in the All-Star game.
"That's a night I get to take a night off," he said. "Get a little break from defense. But we kind of buckle down towards the end of the game to try to win, so that's when it kicks in."
Davis is part of Team LeBron for the All-Star Game, but it remains to be seen how long he plays with the four-time NBA MVP in Los Angeles.
The 26-year-old is eligible for free agency after this season and reportedly turned down a $146m, four-year contract extension last month - an expected move since he is eligible for a more lucrative deal with the Lakers with a longer term if he waits until free agency.
"I have no idea about free agency right now," he said. "I'm worried about this season and what I can do to focus on helping the Lakers win this year and then when that time comes, then come do an interview with me then, we'll figure it out."
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