The story of how Anthony Davis came to join Klutch Sports has often been alluded to but never really detailed. After the news broke in 2018 that Davis joined Klutch, most people assumed he wouldn’t be long for New Orleans. But the funny thing about that connection is it wouldn’t have happened were it not for a player the Pelicans employed.
In a feature article about Davis, ESPN’s Dave McMenamin revealed that the person who connected Davis with Klutch and eventually put his move to the Lakers in motion was none other than former Pelicans big man Kendrick Perkins.
Perkins, who is now an analyst for ESPN, played AAU ball with LeBron James and was twice a member of the Cleveland Cavaliers during LeBron’s second stint in Cleveland. Davis played on the USA Basketball team with LeBron back during the 2012 Olympics in London but apparently the connection via Perkins was much stronger than the one LeBron and AD formed earlier in the decade.
Although Perkins’ most famous NBA years came as a member of the Boston Celtics, the present day story of the Los Angeles Lakers franchise couldn’t be told without him.
