“Everybody’s looking at f**king LeBron”: Anthony Davis recounts 4x MVP’s authoritative influence amid exiting bubble during BLM protests
Anthony Davis and LeBron James helped the LA Lakers win the NBA championship in 2020. The two megastars led the franchise to its 17th title inside the Orlando Bubble, where the NBA completed the season amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
The pandemic wasn't the only issue NBA players had to deal with, though. George Floyd was murdered by a police officer in Minneapolis, and protests took place in the United States.
NBA players reacted to Floyd's murder, with some even considering leaving the bubble and join the 'Black Lives Matter' protests. However, they eventually decided to stay and continue to play and find other ways to protest about police brutality.
Anthony Davis revealed that 4*MVP LeBron James had a pivotal role in the players' meeting at the Orlando Bubble and their decision to stay.
"We actually had a meeting, and it was about what we were going to do, and everybody is looking at f***king LeBron. CJ (McCollum) is hosting the meeting. Every team was in the room. Everybody was involved.
"But nobody discussed this, and everybody was looking at us, like 'what are the Lakers going to do'? ... LeBron says we are staying. No other vote matters, no problem," Anthony Davis told D'Angelo Russell on 'The Backyard Podcast'.
The 2019-20 season came to an end inside the Orlando Bubble in October, with the Lakers claiming the championship.
Anthony Davis once said he thought about leaving the Orlando Bubble
Anthony Davis was among the NBA players who were part of the Orlando Bubble for three months to complete the 2019-20 season amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Davis once talked about the mental challenges he faced during his stay at Disney World, as NBA players were away from their familes for several weeks. He even revealed that he considered leaving Orlando.
"We are each other’s family. The entire team. And we stayed in each other’s rooms, playing video games, doing whatever we can to stay together, because we knew it was going to be tough, and we wanted to make sure that we had each other’s backs. And it showed on the floor and off the floor," Anthony Davis said in an interview with Rachel Nichols in 2020, via ESPN.
"You’d call your family, and they’d say ‘No, you’re not coming home. What? Go win a championship, and, then, come home.’ You need that reassurance to make this all worth it."
Several NBA stars talked about how they struggled mentally inside the Orlando Bubble amid the pandemic and spending time away from their familes for weeks.
During the interview with Nichols, LeBron James echoed Davis' comments, saying that he had second thoughts about his presence in the Bubble and considered leaving Orlando as well.