Anthony Davis

Who is Anthony Davis?

Anthony Davis is an American professional basketball player. He plays for the ‘New Orleans Pelicans’ of the ‘National Basketball Association’ (NBA). Davis has performed exceptionally well in basketball since high school. He plays in the power forward, and center positions. While in high school, Davis was noticed by selectors due to his agility and tall physique. Around the same time, he was selected for the ‘McDonald’s All-American Game.’ He attended the ‘University of Kentucky’ and played for the ‘Kentucky Wildcats.’ While playing for the university team, Davis was awarded the ‘US Basketball Writers Association (USBWA) National Freshman of the Year.’ Davis was part of the US national basketball team that won a gold medal in the 2012 ‘Olympic Games.’ He has broken several game records during the course of his six-year career.

Career

Anthony Davis began his basketball career very early in life. While in high school, he was selected for the 2011 ‘McDonalds All-American Game,’ in which Davis scored 5 field goals. He was part of the ‘Parade All-America Boys Basketball Team’ first team, which was a great honor for high-school basketball players in the US. He was also included in the ‘ESPN RISE’ boys’ high school basketball ‘All-American’ first team in 2011. It was an honorary team comprising the best amateur basketball players.

Anthony Davis then attended the ‘University of Kentucky.’ He played for his university basketball team, the ‘Kentucky Wildcats,’ under coach John Calipari. Davis delivered impressive performances in his college days, too. He led his team to a 16–0 win in a conference play, as part of the ‘SEC’ season championship. He was among the three ‘Kentucky Wildcats’ in the race for the ‘Wayman Tisdale Award,’ which was awarded by the ‘USBWA.’

In May 2012, Davis became part of the US national basketball team that was to participate in the 2012 ‘Olympics.’ The team won a gold medal in the final match against Spain. Davis was also a member of the national team that won the gold medal in the ‘2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup.’

In 2012, Anthony Davis was named the ‘Sporting News Men’s College Basketball Player of the Year.’ He won the ‘USBWA Robertson Trophy,’ too. He was recognized as the ‘National Player of the Year’ by ‘CBSSports.com.’ The same year, Davis became the second freshman to win the ‘Associated Press College Basketball Player of the Year.’ Davis played in the ‘2012 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament,’ where he scored 18 points, 14 rebounds, and 5 blocks, against the team ‘Louisville.’ For this exceptional performance, he won the ‘NCAA Basketball Tournament Most Outstanding Player’ award. The same year, he was named the ‘USBWA National Freshman of the Year.’

He set many records in the 2011–2012 ‘NCAA Division I’ men’s basketball season. In January, he set a new ‘Kentucky’ men’s basketball record for the highest number of single-season blocked shots. He set a new single-game record, by blocking 7 in a game against ‘Western Kentucky.’ By the end of the season, Davis achieved a total of 186 blocks for the entire season and set a new ‘NCAA Division I’ freshman record.

In 2012, Davis declared himself eligible for the ‘NBA Draft,’ the annual event where ‘NBA’ teams can sign new players to their teams. Davis was selected by the ‘New Orleans Hornets,’ with the first overall pick. In July 2012, he signed a three-year, $16 million guaranteed contract with the team. Davis played exceptionally well in his rookie year with the ‘New Orleans Hornets.’ In November 2012, he debuted against the ‘San Antonio Spurs,’ where he scored a team-high of 21. The season saw Davis being sidelined a few times, due to injuries. After every return, he proved himself with great scores.

In February, 2013, Davis participated in the ‘Rising Stars Challenge’ during the ‘NBA All-Star Game’ weekend. He was sidelined due to a shoulder injury but returned to score 17 points, 15 rebounds, and 4 blocked shots, against ‘Orlando Magic.’ He procured the second place in the run for the ‘NBA Rookie of the Year.’

In the 2013–2014 season, the ‘New Orleans Hornets’ changed their name to ‘New Orleans Pelicans.’ Davis started the season with a remarkable game against ‘Orlando Magic.’ He became the youngest player in the history of the franchise to record 25 points and 15 rebounds. In December, he was sidelined due to an injury, thereby missing the chance to play in his hometown, Chicago. In January, Davis was selected as a participant for the ‘Rising Stars Challenge.’ He replaced ace player Kobe Bryant in the ‘2014 NBA All-Star Game.’ Davis suffered a series of injuries during the season. Despite this, he ended up at the third place in the race for the ‘NBA Most Improved Player.’

In the 2015–2016 season, Anthony Davis signed a five-year contract extension with the ‘New Orleans Pelicans.’ In a match against the ‘Detroit Pistons,’ he scored 59 points, and became the youngest player in ‘NBA’ history to achieve this score in a game. Davis performed remarkably well in the 2016–2017 season, too. That season, he was selected as a starter for the ‘NBA All-Star Game.’ In November 2017, Davis was named the ‘Western Conference Player of the Week.’ In January, 2018, he scored a season-high 48 points and 17 rebounds, in a win over the ‘New York Knicks.’