After Anthony Davis found out he was traded to Dallas on Saturday evening, he FaceTimed LeBron James.
James declined to reveal the words that were exchanged, but he described the tenor of their conversation.
“If AD wants to talk about that moment, [he can], but it was definitely a weird, uncomfortable truth moment for us,” James said in his first public comments about the deal following the Los Angeles Lakers‘ 122-97 win over the LA Clippers on Tuesday. “Just knowing that he was going to be gone, that was very, very difficult. Very challenging. I can see how in shock he was, obviously. And he probably saw it from my face as well.”
James and Davis were more than just two superstars who shared the court. They were each other’s supporters through one of the toughest seasons of their careers, which included the death of Kobe Bryant and spending 93 days inside the NBA bubble in Orlando during the COVID-19 pandemic. They led the team to their first championship in 10 years that season.
From 2019-2025, their on-court relationship transformed from mentor and mentee to the 40-year-old face of the league passing the baton to the 31-year-old superstar, with James calling Davis the best player on the Lakers.
But most importantly, they were friends. Davis went to Taco Tuesday at James’ house. Davis sat courtside when James’ son, Bronny, made his G League debut. Their lockers were next to each other. They’d chat after games. They’d lovingly take jabs at each other during interviews, with James joking about Davis’ unibrow and Davis teasing James for being old.
“Literally became brothers over the last 5 1/2 years,” James said. “What we were able to accomplish on the floor, obviously that goes without saying. But, more importantly, what we were able to accomplish off the floor, us growing together, knowing each other’s families, seeing each other grow, seeing each other’s kids grow. It’s pretty unique. Obviously, I was at his wedding when he got married. It’s been — it was special.”
When news broke of the stunning three-team trade that sent Davis to the Mavericks and brought Luka Doncic to the Lakers on Saturday, James was out to dinner with his family following a win over the New York Knicks.
“I thought it was for sure fake,” James said. “I thought it was a hoax, people messing around or whatever. But then when AD called me, AD Facetimed me and I talked to him for quite a while and even when I got off the phone with him, it still didn’t seem real. And it still pretty much didn’t seem real until I saw Luka today and I saw a clip of AD at the Dallas shootaround. That’s when it finally hit me, like, ‘Oh s—, this is real.'”
Even though the trade caught James off guard, he balked when asked if he was concerned that it showed that the Lakers were more concerned about the future than the present.
“What’s wrong with that?” James asked. “If I had concerns about it, I’d waive my no-trade clause and get up out of here.”
Instead, James sat next to Doncic on the bench Tuesday, a tease for fans who are eagerly anticipating how the two superstars will mesh. (Doncic is out with a calf strain but will do a five-on-five workout Wednesday and could return as soon as Saturday.)
“Luka’s been my favorite player in the NBA for a while now,” James said. “I think you guys know that. And I’ve always just tried to play the game the right way and inspire the next generation. And Luka happens to be one of them. And now we’re teammates. So it’ll be a very seamless transition.”
Doncic had his introductory news conference with Los Angeles media earlier Tuesday morning, and he expressed excitement that he will have the opportunity to learn from James. “It’s like a dream come true,” Doncic said. “I always look up to him.”
But everyone who was affected by Saturday’s trade is still in a state of disbelief.
Doncic said when he first heard the news, he had to check and make sure it wasn’t April 1st. Davis told reporters in Dallas he was about to sit down for a movie night with his wife when he received a call from Redick and Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka informing him about the deal, adding he was “shocked.” James, the oldest player in the NBA at age 40, said he hadn’t seen anything like this over his 22-season career.
A 25-year-old generational player being traded? A deal involving two All-NBA players? No rumblings or rumors? Everyone being completely blindsided?
“I ain’t never seen this one,” James said. “I have seen it all up until this one. I have never been a part of one transaction like that. That was different.”
The trade brought up a range of emotions for many NBA players. If Doncic could be traded, is anyone safe?
As for Austin Reaves, he was grieving no longer having Davis on the team. Reaves, who played with Davis for 3 1/2 years, revealed he had a special bond with one of Davis’ sons.
“He would be telling AD, ‘I want to talk to Reaves,'” Reaves recalled. “And I would always tell him to do the [ice in the veins] celebration and he would start doing it. So it’s just little things like that are why it’s tough.”
Reaves said he has had an “empty pit in my stomach” after saying goodbye to not only Davis, but also Max Christie and Jalen Hood-Schifino, who were also involved in the deal.
“You create real relationships with these guys and that’s been the toughest part for me,” Reaves said.
But the NBA is a business and all the players involved need to look forward. The Lakers have won nine of their last 11 games and are now in fifth place in the Western Conference. They need to figure out a way to maintain that momentum while integrating Doncic, who could transform the franchise into a contender for years to come.
It’s an exciting prospect.
Still, one of the craziest trades in sports history left many people reeling, including James, who lost his longtime co-pilot and good friend in the locker room.
His reaction when he first heard Davis was leaving?
“My emotions were all over the place,” James said
After a few days, it was clear nothing had changed.
Melissa Rohlin is an NBA writer for FOX Sports. She previously covered the league for Sports Illustrated, the Los Angeles Times, the Bay Area News Group and the San Antonio Express-News. Follow her on Twitter @melissarohlin.
LeBron James
Luka Doncic
Los Angeles Lakers
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