When you mention Los Angeles basketball culture, it’s impossible not to mention Baron Davis. The former NBA All-Star was at the front and center of the league’s marquee midseason event with it happening in his home town.
A star at Crossroads High School and in college at UCLA, Davis is one of the best players to ever come out of the Los Angeles area. And a perfect ambassador for All-Star Weekend. With the NBA world having descended on the southland this past weekend, there’s nobody better than Davis to represent what Los Angeles brings to the table as far as basketball.
“LA brings the lifestyle, the energy, basketball is numero uno here,” Davis told ClutchPoints in an exclusive interview. “We have the historic UCLA, and we have other basketball colleges around here. Great high schools, and so a lot of our NBA talent has come from LA. The lifestyle and energy, and the celebration of the guys who come from LA, who have been All-Stars, who went on to have incredible careers, it’s a great time to honor them.”
During Davis’ senior year in high school, he was named the Gatorade Player of the Year as well as a McDonald’s All-American. After a hot recruiting battle between multiple colleges, Davis ultimately selected the hometown school in UCLA. He won the Pac-10 Freshman of the Year award, and despite an injury during the NCAA Tournament that season, he returned rejuvenated and on track to be a lottery pick in the NBA Draft.
Sure enough, Davis was selected by the Charlotte Hornets with the No. 3 overall pick in the 1999 NBA Draft. By his third season in the league, he was an All-Star and the Hornets’ franchise player. By the time he left the Hornets after five and half seasons, he had notched another All-Star selection and was widely considered one of the best point guards in the NBA.
And Davis made sure to always show off the LA influence in his game.
“I wanted to bring a style to the league that made people recognize that LA had a different style of basketball. More entertaining, more creative, but really the a hardcore, grimy, play defense style of basketball,” Davis said. “And so I think that identify for me was something I had to develop while I was in the league in order to be a point guard playing against NBA great point guards.”
Baron Davis mentoring NBA’s next generation
Former NBA player Baron Davis (left) attends an WNBA game between the Los Angeles Sparks and the New York Liberty at Crypto.com Arena.
Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images
As part of his participation during NBA All-Star Weekend, Baron Davis took part in AT&T’s setup at the Venice Beach basketball courts. The pop-up, alongside fellow former NBA player and current Utah Jazz assistant coach Jason Terry, featured a 2-on-2 basketball tournament as well as a gaming station for fans to participate in an NBA 2K competition.
But aside from the fan activities and appearances, All-Star Weekend gives Davis the opportunity to catch up with his fellow members of the NBA brotherhood, as well as making himself available for the next generation of NBA stars.
“Some of my heroes that I grew up with, watching them, guys I patterned my game after, they took care of me. It’s an opportunity to see them, pay homage to them, and also the next generation,” Davis said. “Staying connected to basketball has allowed me to really be a fan and a student of the game. I think once you have that kind of mentality and that approach, you can appreciate everybody for their specific art form.”
Davis was certainly someone who was appreciated for his form during his playing days. An electric point guard with creative handles who could dazzle fans with a pass or shot alike, he really stepped into the limelight after leading the Golden State Warriors to a historic first-round playoff upset against the No. 1 seeded Dallas Mavericks in 2007.
Just got reminded of how damn good Baron Davis really was. Enjoy.
(🎥@ThrowbackHoops ).pic.twitter.com/3taua1HmE2
— The Shadow League (@ShadowLeague) January 11, 2019
During that postseason run, Davis averaged a playoff-career high 25.3 points, 4.5 rebounds, 6.5 assists and 2.9 steals while shooting 51.3 percent from the field and 37.3 percent from the 3-point line. Although the Warriors’ magic would end in the Western Conference Semifinals in five games against the Utah Jazz, Davis had one of the top highlights of the postseason in that series with a thunderous poster dunk over Andrei Kirilenko.
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Davis was a unique point guard in that few others had his combination of speed, strength and skill. His ability to throw an incredulous pass while pulling up from the 3-point line was unmatched at that time. And as far as the player whom he most identifies with in the present day, look no further than his former team in the Hornets and LaMelo Ball.
“He’s having so much fun and his creation is off the charts. His passing ability is off the charts,” Davis said. “Now he’s starting to figure it out, how to lead, how to be a great leader, but more importantly, how to be a closer. I think that’s what I’ve enjoyed the most about his evolution this year. He has a chip on his shoulder, and he’s playing like he really has something to prove.”
How the game has changed since Baron Davis’ NBA days
Los Angeles Clippers guard Baron Davis (5) takes the court before the start of the game against the Charlotte Bobcats at the Staples Center.
Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images
In some ways, Baron Davis was ahead of his time when he was running up and down NBA courts. With the game becoming a little more fast-paced and explosive offenses on display on a nightly basis, he would fit right in with that.
Throughout his 13-year NBA career, Davis averaged double digits in scoring in all but two seasons; his rookie year in 1999-2000 and his final year in 2011-12. He only averaged under five assists per game during those two years as well. From an entertainment standpoint, he was must-see TV, and that’s kind of where he’s seen the game shift in the present day.
“I think the game has become more entertainment friendly. When you look at the explosive scoring and dynamic scoring, that’s the model of today’s game. Score, score, score, a lot of great shooting, a lot of great athletes. It’s kind of built as you don’t really know who’s the most dominant until the playoffs shape up,” Davis said. “I think what we’re getting is a lot more parity in the league. I think that just leads to opportunities for teams to get better and really challenge for a title.”
And as far as being entertainment friendly, Davis participated in the NBA’s Slam Dunk Contest when he was on the cusp of becoming an All-Star. Although he did not win the contest, he is best remembered for his blindfold attempt at a windmill dunk that he did not connect on.
Davis was an impressive dunker for his size during his career, and he won the 1997 McDonald’s All-American Slam Dunk Contest. 2001 was the only year Davis would partake in the event while in the NBA, and he has some thoughts on what it would take to make the contest more entertaining for fans. At this point, it’s less about the actual dunks and more about the presentation.
“That’s hard. . .it’s got to be entertaining. I think the more overproduced and theatrical it is, that’s gonna make it better,” Davis said. “But the days of running up and just making dunks and getting judged, it has to be a little bit more theatrics. Preproduction and those kinds of things.”