Anthony Davis helped the Los Angeles Lakers to the 17th NBA title in the history of the franchise and became the eighth basketball player to win this glorious treble. In 2016, he won the gold medal with the United States in Brazil and four years earlier he became NCAA champion with the University of Kentucky.
Only seven basketball players and 46 American athletes in total had ever managed to do something similar in the past. The first was Clyde Lovellette, who was also the first player to win the NBA with both the LA Lakers and the Boston Celtics.
He was followed in the 1960s by Bill Russell and KC Jones, in the 1970s by Jerry Lucas and Quinn Buckner and later, in 1992, by Magic Johnson and Michael Jordan. As many as 28 years had passed since an NBA player managed to match that feat.
“To be out here and grind with these guys for a full 12 months, we have been through a lot of ups and downs, arguments and tough moments,” Davis noted after the end of the sixth final against the Miami Heat.
“You have got to compete. It is tough, it’s tough on your body. It’s a lot of hard work. The guys pushed me, especially LeBron [James] and [Rajon] Rondo. They are always on me every day about being great and being better. Covering up every mistake is my job”.
“To be able to win it, grind and see how tough it is to get this feeling, you want the feeling again. That is what it is about. We have been through a lot but we are champions.” In the finals, Davis averaged 25 points and 10.7 rebounds per game in the Finals doing so on 57.7 percent shooting from the field.