Photo courtesy Red Bull Media House
The ascendant Anthony Davis of the New Orleans Pelicans, he of the cartoonish wingspan and uncanny ball-hawking and shot-blocking defense, was in his hometown of Chicago over the weekend as part of Red Bull's Red Reign 3-on-3 tournament. Aside from learning what three animals the Brow would put on his own 3-on-3 animal roster—bear, lion, and black mamba (we think he meant the snake)—Davis spoke at length about Chicago's gun violence and an athlete's responsibility to the city he plays in among a plethora of other topics with VICE Sports' Brian Lauvray.VICE Sports: How do you come down from the 82-game season, the travel, the practices, the games?
Anthony Davis: Eighty-two games is a lot of games and you really need to let your body rest up and relax. You go on vacation, you recover, you practice and work out a every now and then through the course of the offseason while also affording yourself recovery time. It's important to just get that balance back and to unwind.The Chicago Bulls are going to be a lot of fun to watch next season. Read more.What's unwinding for you consist of?
Just hanging out with friends and relaxing. I've seen a lot of movies this summer.Which movies?
I've seen Planet of the Apes 2… uhh, umm… [Davis tries to recall what else he's seen]Godzilla? Transformers 4?
No. [to handler] What movie did we just see?Handler: Think Like a Man Too. [Davis and the interviewer laugh; Davis leans over couch and asks a nearby member of his inner circle what movie they just saw and remembers.]Oh, Purge 2.Was it as good as the first one?
Nah. It was still good, but not as good as the first one.What about when you're back in Chicago, what do you do or try and see when you're home?
I honestly just try to get as much family time as possible when I'm here. I don't get back that much and so this summer with this Red Bull tournament and with some Team USA events next month in the city, I'm happy to just catch up with all of the family and friends that I can see. After the FIBA [World Basketball Cup], I won't really have the chance to see Chicago again until we travel up here for the regular season and so I'm definitely happy to be seeing everyone now.As a native Chicagoan who grew up in Englewood, how do you feel, how do you respond when you see your hometown's violence portrayed so graphically in the national media?
It's terrible. It's out of control. I'm happy to see [the Bulls'] Derrick [Rose] and Joakim [Noah] making a PSA about it, because it is really bad and it needs to be stopped. It's something that my personal team is trying to pursue, to try and help. Everything is and should be on the table. I mean, even something like this 3-on-3 tournament, these are Chicago teams and it's just an opportunity to give the people a relief from everything else, from the violence, with a few hours of basketball.Do you think the game of basketball and players of your stature and profile have a higher calling or responsibility to send a message?
I mean, it's up to the individual player. I can't speak for other guys. Some guys might and some guys might not. But me just being from here, seeing everything that is going on in my city that I grew up in, I gotta step in and do something.I visited New Orleans recently and I was staying in the Bywater neighborhood and just kept seeing parts of the city that nearly ten years later were still wrecked from Katrina. How has the city welcomed you and the Pelicans (as a new team name/mascot) and what do you think is your relationship with New Orleans?
New Orleans is my second home. Definitely. The fans are great, everyone there is grateful, and people absolutely believe in the team we have. It was hit by Katrina but even with all of those losses, they are incredibly grateful for what is there. The fans, the people of the city are so calm and happy to see you on the streets. I mean, you might get people asking for a photograph or an autograph, but they just really appreciate us being there.Do you think because it is such a laid-back city that it speaks to your personality?
Oh, absolutely. Man, I'm a chill and laid-back guy and the city completely responds to that.Growing up and playing as a guard and then growing eight inches and transitioning to a power forward—what about playing as a guard has made you so much better as a forward?
Understanding that positioning is really important to rebounding is something that's made me a much better forward. I mean, as a guard, as a shorter player, I really had to get great position if I was going to get a rebound and now that I'm this tall, it isn't like my positioning has gone away. So I think that's one thing that helps a lot with my game.Bigs in the NBA never go away, but right now it seems as though we're at the start of a new evolution of forwards and centers in the league. There are guys like Dwight Howard, who is a little older and has a different game than you do, but you're sort of a the forefront of this new wave of bigs. Guys like Giannis Antetokounmpo, Nerlens Noel, and Joel Embiid.
There are a lot of us elite centers and stretch fours in the league. It's become a more stretched-out game especially for the bigs and it is actually really fun and nice to guard guys that resemble your style versus guys like Dwight who just pound and pound and pound. Change or revolution or not, I just wanna play my game and play in the league.Why the number 23? Is it LeBron or is it MJ?
Actually? I always wore the number three, but in high school someone else had the number and so the trainer just reached into the bag and threw me a different jersey and it was number two-three. So then I always just wore it and I've stuck with it.Follow Brian Lauvray on Twitter.
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Anthony Davis: Eighty-two games is a lot of games and you really need to let your body rest up and relax. You go on vacation, you recover, you practice and work out a every now and then through the course of the offseason while also affording yourself recovery time. It's important to just get that balance back and to unwind.The Chicago Bulls are going to be a lot of fun to watch next season. Read more.What's unwinding for you consist of?
Just hanging out with friends and relaxing. I've seen a lot of movies this summer.Which movies?
I've seen Planet of the Apes 2… uhh, umm… [Davis tries to recall what else he's seen]Godzilla? Transformers 4?
No. [to handler] What movie did we just see?Handler: Think Like a Man Too. [Davis and the interviewer laugh; Davis leans over couch and asks a nearby member of his inner circle what movie they just saw and remembers.]Oh, Purge 2.Was it as good as the first one?
Nah. It was still good, but not as good as the first one.What about when you're back in Chicago, what do you do or try and see when you're home?
I honestly just try to get as much family time as possible when I'm here. I don't get back that much and so this summer with this Red Bull tournament and with some Team USA events next month in the city, I'm happy to just catch up with all of the family and friends that I can see. After the FIBA [World Basketball Cup], I won't really have the chance to see Chicago again until we travel up here for the regular season and so I'm definitely happy to be seeing everyone now.
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It's terrible. It's out of control. I'm happy to see [the Bulls'] Derrick [Rose] and Joakim [Noah] making a PSA about it, because it is really bad and it needs to be stopped. It's something that my personal team is trying to pursue, to try and help. Everything is and should be on the table. I mean, even something like this 3-on-3 tournament, these are Chicago teams and it's just an opportunity to give the people a relief from everything else, from the violence, with a few hours of basketball.Do you think the game of basketball and players of your stature and profile have a higher calling or responsibility to send a message?
I mean, it's up to the individual player. I can't speak for other guys. Some guys might and some guys might not. But me just being from here, seeing everything that is going on in my city that I grew up in, I gotta step in and do something.I visited New Orleans recently and I was staying in the Bywater neighborhood and just kept seeing parts of the city that nearly ten years later were still wrecked from Katrina. How has the city welcomed you and the Pelicans (as a new team name/mascot) and what do you think is your relationship with New Orleans?
New Orleans is my second home. Definitely. The fans are great, everyone there is grateful, and people absolutely believe in the team we have. It was hit by Katrina but even with all of those losses, they are incredibly grateful for what is there. The fans, the people of the city are so calm and happy to see you on the streets. I mean, you might get people asking for a photograph or an autograph, but they just really appreciate us being there.
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Oh, absolutely. Man, I'm a chill and laid-back guy and the city completely responds to that.Growing up and playing as a guard and then growing eight inches and transitioning to a power forward—what about playing as a guard has made you so much better as a forward?
Understanding that positioning is really important to rebounding is something that's made me a much better forward. I mean, as a guard, as a shorter player, I really had to get great position if I was going to get a rebound and now that I'm this tall, it isn't like my positioning has gone away. So I think that's one thing that helps a lot with my game.Bigs in the NBA never go away, but right now it seems as though we're at the start of a new evolution of forwards and centers in the league. There are guys like Dwight Howard, who is a little older and has a different game than you do, but you're sort of a the forefront of this new wave of bigs. Guys like Giannis Antetokounmpo, Nerlens Noel, and Joel Embiid.
There are a lot of us elite centers and stretch fours in the league. It's become a more stretched-out game especially for the bigs and it is actually really fun and nice to guard guys that resemble your style versus guys like Dwight who just pound and pound and pound. Change or revolution or not, I just wanna play my game and play in the league.Why the number 23? Is it LeBron or is it MJ?
Actually? I always wore the number three, but in high school someone else had the number and so the trainer just reached into the bag and threw me a different jersey and it was number two-three. So then I always just wore it and I've stuck with it.Follow Brian Lauvray on Twitter.