"I'll go back to my job as mailman": Karl Malone once left Anthony Davis hilariously bamboozled by pranking him dressed as a cleaner
Anthony Davis and Karl Malone never shared the floor for a basketball game. When Anthony Davis joined the league in 2012, the former Utah Jazz big man had already retired. As a matter of fact, Malone retired as a Laker after spending a year with the franchise (2003-04).
The two bigs eventually met on a basketball court back in 2018 during a basketball commercial. Davis was invited by Red Bull to do a commercial, but the company wanted to have some fun with the 2020 NBA champion and brought Karl Malone in.
However, Davis never recognized Malone, as the Hall of Famer had dressed as the "Maintenance Man" and his job was to constantly interrupt the commercial and get on Davis' nerves.
Karl Malone was hilarious in his role as 'Maintenance Man', with Davis not recognizing him in the beginning.
"I know the Karl Malone spot when I see it. I will go back to my job as mailman," Malone said as he was trying to help Davis understand that he wasn't actually the 'Maintenance Man'.
Eventually, Anthony Davis found out that the 'Maintenance Man' was actually Karl Malone and had nothing but respect for him, as the two shared a moment.
“I watched a lot of film on you and how you do it. This is called your spot for a reason," Anthony Davis told Karl Malone during their conversation once Malone's identity was revealed, via Red Bull's official website.
Karl Malone considered Anthony Davis a player 'to build a great team around'
Anthony Davis joined the NBA back in 2012 and was viewed as the future leader of the New Orleans Pelicans. His offensive arsenal and his two-way game quickly transformed him into an All-Star big man and the Pelicans' best chance for a deep playoff run.
Back in 2014, Karl Malone was impressed by what he had seen from Davis and considered him a future franchise player.
“I see a young man that has just flourished here, he’s embraced it, he’s worked hard. I get to see the Pelicans play a lot, they being on T.V and me living in Louisiana. He doesn’t get too excited about things, he just goes out and plays the game. He plays hard," Karl Malone told media during the 2014 All-Star Weekend, via NBC Sports.
"I’ll be the first to admit this… when they first drafted him I wasn’t totally for sure (sold on him) because I hadn’t seen how he played with his teammates. You can truly build a great team around this young man. I love to see him play and I love the way he keeps his composure and just plays the game," Malone added.
Anthony Davis couldn't win an NBA championship for the Pelicans during his seven-year stay(2012-2019). He left New Orleans to join the Lakers in the summer of 2019 and led the franchise to the 2020 NBA championship along with LeBron James. Moreover, the Lakers recently signed him to an extension that will keep him with the squad till 2028.
With LeBron James entering the final stages of his career, Davis is expected to take over after James' retirement and, if healthy, will look to lead his team to more NBA titles.