"Shaq-like dominant performance": LeBron James shouts out Anthony Davis' monster night, claims he was inspired

LeBron James was all praises to his running-mate Anthony Davis after their conquest of the first-ever NBA In-Season Tournament title on Saturday night in Las Vegas. ‘The King’ highlighted the stellar showing in the game of ‘A.D.', who he claimed was inspired by the presence of another LA Lakers great Shaquille O’Neal on courtside.

The Lakers completed their impressive run in the “tournament within a tournament” by defeating the Indiana Pacers, 123-109, in the final held at the T-Mobile Arena.

In James' words, Davis had a "Shaq-like" night, chalking up 41 points, 20 rebounds, five assists, and four blocks to lead the charge as they made history as the first-ever champions in NBA In-Season play.

During the award ceremony on the floor, LeBron James said about Anthony Davis (via NBA's X account):

“That was Shaq-like dominant performance. We had the big fella sitting down by our bench and I think AD was inspired. 40-20, multiple blocks, multiple steals. AD was just dominant.”

The Lakers were in control for much of the contest but still needed a late-game push to finally shake off a resilient Pacers crew.

Davis was steady throughout and had ample support from LeBron James, who had 24 points, 11 rebounds, four assists, and two steals in the championship game, as well as Austin Reaves (28 points).

For winning the title in the In-Season Tournament, the Lakers got their hands on the NBA Cup, with each player earning $500,000 each.

The NBA In-Season Tournament was employed by the league for the first time this season to add a dimension to the league year. The tournament had a similar format to that of In-Season European football tournaments and the WNBA Commissioner's Cup.

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LeBron James sees Anthony Davis as the face of the Lakers

While he leads the charge for the LA Lakers, LeBron James believes that Anthony Davis is as much the face of the franchise and is set to continue doing so moving forward.

In an interview with Dave McMenamin of ESPN at the start of the NBA season, ‘The King’ said ‘A.D.’ has already proven that he is able and ready to take the cudgels for the storied team, joining other Laker greats that came before him.

LeBron James said:

“He is the face [of the franchise]. You look at all these [retired] numbers that surround this facility, all the greats that have come here and AD is one of them.”

Davis joined James and the Lakers in 2019 from the New Orleans Pelicans and won a title with them in 2020. In five seasons so far, the former Kentucky standout has averaged 24.5 points, 10,4 rebounds, three assists, 2.2 blocks, and 1.2 steals.