LA Lakers News Roundup: Anthony Davis says he hasn’t shot a ball since April 5, Ice Cube includes three Purple and Gold legends on his Mount Rushmore list, and more | June 13th, 2022
LA Lakers star Anthony Davis made headlines recently when he made a shocking revelation about his offseason workout.
The 29-year-old claimed he hadn't shot a basketball since April 5, which sent Lakers fans into a frenzy. The 2020 NBA champion has struggled over the last two campaigns due to poor form and injury.
Meanwhile, rapper Ice Cube, a hardcore LA Lakers fan, listed three Lakers legends on his Mount Rushmore list. He snubbed LeBron James and Shaquille O'Neal, opting for former players with longer tenures in LA.
Here's a roundup of some of the news involving the Lakers on June 13, 2022:
LA Lakers' Anthony Davis reveals he hasn’t done a basketball workout since April 5th
Anthony Davis hasn't done a basketball workout since his last game of the 2021-22 NBA season on April 5. The LA Lakers were out of play-in tournament contention following that match, which ended in a 121-110 loss against the Phoenix Suns.
During a recent appearance on a vlog, a clip went viral where AD can be heard saying he hasn't shot a basketball since April 5.
"I haven't shot a basketball since probably like April 5th," said Davis.
Anthony Davis: "I haven't shot a basketball since probably April 5th." https://t.co/5V7hzptXf8
Fans on social media showed no remorse to the LA Lakers big man for being so casual about his approach towards basketball training.
AD has underperformed massively over the last two seasons, averaging roughly 23 points and nine rebounds per game. The former New Orleans Pelicans star has shot 50%, including a dismal 23% from 3-point range. Last campaign, he only made 18.6% of his shots from long distance, and his mid-range game wasn't as effective either.
Nevertheless, Davis' offseason routine has always been like this. He goes through four weeks of rest and six weeks of weight training before doing his basketball routine six weeks before training camp.
Anthony Davis said his usual off-season is
• 4 weeks rest after the season
• 6 weeks strictly weight training
• Basketball stuff 6 weeks before training camp
Lakers season ended 8 weeks ago. This is just his normal routine 🤞 #LakeShow https://t.co/oFrNOfIwIB
Rapper Ice Cube includes Kobe Bryant, Magic Johnson, and Wilt Chamberlain on his Mount Rushmore list
Rapper Ice Cube, an LA native, included three NBA legends who played for the LA Lakers on his basketball Mount Rushmore list. It's always a difficult choice with only four spots up for grabs, but the artist seemed confident when he made his picks.
He also left legends like LeBron James and Shaquille O'Neal off his Mount Rushmore list in the process. Here's what Cube said during a recent interview with Basketball News.com:
“Oh, man, I gotta put Magic Johnson up there, Michael Jordan. You know, I have to put Wilt Chamberlain and I don’t know, I guess I put Kobe Bryant up there. To me, those are just talents that nobody can match.”
Who is on @icecube's NBA Mount Rushmore?
Watch our full 30-minute interview here: youtu.be/Pi2zRcMOjc0 https://t.co/IuKK7IZBo5
Shaquille O’Neal snaps at fan claiming he wouldn’t win the Finals without Kobe Bryant
Shaquille O'Neal blasted a fan on Twitter who claimed the former MVP wouldn't win the NBA Finals without the late LA Lakers legend Kobe Bryant.
O'Neal put up mind-boggling numbers during those Finals series that led to championship wins. He averaged at least 30 points, 12 rebounds and two blocks in each of those three runs.
SHAQ in the NBA Finals:
2000 - 38 PPG, 16.7 RPG, 2.7 BPG & 2.3 APG.
2001 - 33 PPG, 15.8 RPG, 4.8 APG & 3.4 BPG.
2002 - 36.3 PPG, 12.3 RPG, 3.8 APG & 2.8 BPG.
🤯🤯🤯 https://t.co/0kh7FYVrPx
A fan replied to a post that displayed those stat-lines, saying:
"Even with all of this Shaq doesn’t win those rings without Kobe"
Shaquille O'Neal responded to the post, agreeing that having multiple stars is vital for a team to win championships. He gave examples of star duos like Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and Kenny Smith and Hakeem Olajuwon to state that the fan made an obvious claim.
"No person can win without another star big dummy how many would magic have without kareem how many would kenny smith have without hakeem wtf u talking about i hate dumb a** people enjoy my stats and stf up"
@barryclayauthor @LegionHoops no person can win without another star big dummy how many would magic have without kareem how many would kenny smith have without hakeem wtf u talking about i hate dumb ass people enjoy my stats and stf up
O'Neal was undoubtedly one of the vital pieces in an all-round team that lifted three championships on the bounce.