LeBron James was not mincing words on Thursday night.
After the Lakers’ 100-95 win over the Suns on Thursday night at Cyrpto.com Arena, James was interviewed on the court after the game in a spot for TNT.
When asked about those who criticized his teammate Anthony Davis for his second-half performance in an opening-night loss to the Nuggets, James, 38, gave a pointed answer.
“We don’t give a s–t about criticism about AD — we don’t care. Nothing bothers us,” James said of Davis who rebounded from his tough Game 1 with a dominant night against the Suns. “AD doesn’t care, I don’t know if guys have figured that out, AD does not care. He’s not on social media, so he’s doesn’t see that other crap. He rarely talks, unless it’s to us.
“So we don’t give a s–t about it. He definitely doesn’t.”
Davis, 30, finished the first game with 17 points and eight rebounds, but he disappeared in the second half, going scoreless on 0-of-6 shooting from the field.
After that game, Charles Barkley called out Davis on TNT’s postgame coverage.
“I said when he was in New Orleans [that] this guy is going to be the best basketball player in the world in the next five years. He’s not even mentioned anymore when you talk about the best players in the game,” Barkley said. “LeBron has said it publicly: It’s [Davis’s] team now. And you wonder when the light is going to kick on because he [doesn’t] have to play great every night, but you can’t go a whole half and not score.”
But Davis had a strong response Thursday against Phoenix, dropping 30 points with 12 rebounds, three blocks, three steals and two assists.
Most notably, he came alive in the second half with 19 points.
At least for one night, he silenced the critics, even if the Lakers don’t care one way or the other.
