‘Losing Sucks’: Lakers’ Anthony Davis Sheds Light On How Lack Of Winning Culture In Pelicans Impacted Him

Published 01/26/2021, 12:30 AM EST

If someone told you that Anthony Davis was down in the dumps before he joined the Los Angeles Lakers, would you believe them? This is true, and not only did he demand a trade when he was with the Pelicans, but he has also now spoken up about how he felt during his last few moments with that franchise.

How losing was taking a toll on AD mentally

After making a brutal public request about wanting to leave New Orleans, there were many suitors for Davis. However, the Lakers were always his first option, so the deal was made. In exchange for AD, the Pelicans got Lonzo Ball, Josh Hart, Brandon Ingram, and a couple of first-round picks and the No. 4 overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft.

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However, Davis didn’t just want this trade because he wanted wins, but because the constant losing made him doubt himself. “When you’re losing, you don’t realize that you’re not happy,” Davis said. “You made a ton of money. You can do whatever you want. You can live this lifestyle, quote-unquote ‘The American Dream,’ but losing sucks.”

” I {realized that} I’m not happy. I want to be happy. And you kind of go through these times where it’s like, do I really want to play basketball? Am I really good enough? You start doubting yourself because you’re not happy. Or it might be stuff in your personal life where you’re not happy. Whether it’s in a relationship or family, whatever it may be. I had some of those things where it’s like I’m going through something off the court. I’m not happy and it’s reflecting my game. It starts leading to minor injuries, you’re not playing hard enough, things like that,” AD concluded.

The cornerstone of the Lakers: Anthony Davis

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Before his trade, Davis was on a downward spiral in terms of his performance with the Pelicans. While he was playing at an MVP level, injuries and trade requests interrupted his form majorly. Now, all that is history.

In his first season with the Lakers, he got exactly what he wanted, which was to win. In fact, LeBron James and Davis quickly became the dynamic duo nobody had expected and ended up leading the franchise to a title. AD became the piece that they were missing for since a decade.

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And it looks like they aren’t going to stop anytime soon. The Lakers are one of the top teams in the West, headed right in the direction of a repeat. Can Davis and James pull it off again?

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Written by:

Yashima Bhatia is an NBA writer for EssentiallySports who specialises in providing nuanced predictions and updates for matches. She has a Bachelor's degree in journalism and mass communication. Yashima's love for playing the game came up at a young age, when the excitement of the games coupled with the intensity of the Playoffs had her hooked.

‘Losing Sucks’: Lakers’ Anthony Davis Sheds Light On How Lack Of Winning Culture In Pelicans Impacted Him

How losing was taking a toll on AD mentally

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The cornerstone of the Lakers: Anthony Davis