Anthony Davis

Anthony Davis, often referred to by his initials AD, is an American professional basketball player for the Dallas Mavericks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He plays the power forward and center positions. Davis is a ten-time NBA All-Star and has been named to four All-NBA First Teams and five NBA All-Defensive Teams. After starting his career with the New Orleans Pelicans, he won the 2020 NBA Finals in his first season with the Los Angeles Lakers. In 2021, he was named to the NBA 75th Anniversary Team. He also won the inaugural NBA Cup in 2023 with the Lakers.

Davis played one season of college basketball for the Kentucky Wildcats, when he was first team All-American and the Consensus National Player of the Year. He also won the USBWA National Freshman of the Year, NABC Defensive Player of the Year and the Pete Newell Big Man Award. Davis led the NCAA in blocks and set Southeastern Conference and NCAA Division I freshman single-season blocked shots records. He led Kentucky to a national championship and was named the most outstanding player of the 2012 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament.

Davis left college for the NBA after one season and was drafted as the first overall pick in the 2012 NBA draft by the New Orleans Hornets, and was selected that summer to play in the 2012 Olympics. After his rookie season, he was named to the NBA All-Rookie First Team. The next season, he became an All-Star for the first time and led the NBA in blocked shots per game. In 2017, he was named the recipient of the NBA All-Star Game MVP Award after setting an All-Star Game scoring record of 52 points. Davis was traded to the Lakers in 2019. He has won gold medals with the United States national team on their 2012 Olympic team, 2014 World Cup team and 2024 Olympic team. As the first to win an NCAA national championship, FIBA World Cup, NBA championship, and Olympic gold medal, Davis is recognized by the governing bodies as the inaugural player to achieve basketball's version of the Grand Slam. He is also one of only eight players to ever achieve the basketball Triple Crown. Aside from his basketball career, Davis has made appearances in films such as "Barbershop: The Next Cut" and "Space Jam: A New Legacy," as well as television shows like "SpongeBob SquarePants" and "Impractical Jokers."