Anthony Davis made sure his new team didn’t sell him short.
The Dallas Mavericks formalized a stunning trade to acquire the star big man from the Los Angeles Lakers in a deal involving Luka Doncic. While Davis played at an elite level before getting sidelined by an abdominal injury, fans still can’t believe Dallas moved a 25-year-old superstar under contract.
On Tuesday, the Mavericks celebrated their new arrival by posting a graphic listing Davis’ many career accomplishments on social media. Captioned “Big fella with the big résumé,” the post credits the 2020 NBA champion as a three-time block champion, five-time All-Defensive Team member, five-time All-NBA selection, and nine-time All-Star. The Mavs also touted his NCAA and Team USA accolades.
Davis replied to the post with a correction.
“***10-time All-Star,” Davis noted, following up with a string of laughing emojis.
Whoever made the post likely forgot that Davis recently earned his 10th All-Star nod. Someone probably quickly checked the highlights atop his Basketball-Reference player page, which still has him at nine.
If anything, one would think the Mavericks would want to oversell Davis’ accomplishments to fight all the backlash from trading Doncic.
Davis is a Western Conference reserve with 25.7 points, 11.9 rebounds, and 2.1 blocks per game. One could argue he merited a starting nod over former Lakers teammate LeBron James with a 27.3 PER that ranks fourth behind Nikola Jokic, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, and Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Speaking to reporters Tuesday, Davis admitted he was surprised by the trade. He learned of the deal right after sending his Lakers teammates a congratulatory text message following Saturday night’s win over the New York Knicks,
“And then, found out like an hour later I was no longer with the team,” Davis recalled, per ESPN’s Tim Bontemps. “I was in shock, obviously. Had no idea that it was happening. But, I mean, now I’m kind of over it, and just kind of getting ready to play with Dallas.”
Davis said he could make his Mavericks debut on Thursday in a 2024 NBA Finals rematch against the Boston Celtics or Saturday against the Houston Rockets.
Related: Breaking: Luka Doncic Traded To Lakers, Anthony Davis To Mavericks In Blockbuster Deal