For the second year in a row, LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers once again have an important road trip before Thanksgiving that features a homecoming game for their star player. But this time it’s not LeBron James making a trip to Cleveland but rather Anthony Davis making his return to New Orleans after asking for a trade earlier this calendar year.
The way things ended for Davis and the Pelicans wasn’t pretty. With the trade request happening midseason, it created a long tension that enveloped both the Pelicans and the Lakers, as players on the Lakers feared they would be traded while the Pelicans had lost their best player. But it’s still hard to imagine it being anything like LeBron’s first game back in Cleveland.
Even though the vitriol and animosity likely won’t be on the same level of LeBron’s 2010 return to Cleveland, LeBron knows what’s important for a team to do when a player has an emotional game on the schedule, according to USA TODAY’s Mark Medina.
James talked about “eerie” feelings and knowing how bizarre it can feel to go back to a place where you spent your formative years. But having someone who can truly relate to Davis on that level may make it a little bit easier for him to adjust to playing his first game at the Smoothie King center as a visitor.
