Los Angeles Lakers big man Anthony Davis has had to deal with a multitude of injuries throughout his NBA career. On Friday night against the Minnesota Timberwolves, he thought he may have suffered the worst one yet in his career.
Timberwolves forward Jaden McDaniels crashed into Davis’s left knee during the game. Davis said that he heard something pop and immediately thought the worst. While going into the locker room, Davis collapsed in the tunnel as the pain, both physically and mentally, overcame him.
“I just reached a point where it was tough to walk,” Davis said Sunday, speaking to reporters for the first time since suffering a sprained medial collateral ligament in his left knee. “I had to take a break. … I did hear something pop — and the first thing I thought of was [a major injury]. Which, I was emotional, I was just like everywhere. But like I said, thank God that it wasn’t that.”
Luckily for Davis, the injury was not as severe as he believed it to be. He underwent an MRI on Saturday in Chicago and it was revealed that he had suffered a knee sprain. That will keep him sidelined for at least four weeks before he is re-evaluated, but that is much better than a season-ending injury.
LATEST NBA NEWS: Anthony Davis Speaks Out On Lakers’ Outlook After Injury Scare
He should be available for following the most recent injury than he was last season. Davis played in only 36 of the Los Angeles Lakers’ games in 2020-21 for the purple and gold, as he dealt with lower-body injuries, suffering a calf strain and Achilles injury.
This time around, he has a better outlook on things as well.
“Mentally I’m fine. I’m in a good space,” Davis said. “Last year was a more ‘me’ thing. This year was like a freakish play. So knowing that nothing I really could have done to avoid it, I guess, keeps me in a good place. The locker room keeps me in a good place. People around me outside of basketball keep me in a good place. Great conversation with my wife about it; she’s the one who keeps me in a good place, for real.”
Mental health for athletes is something that has become more and more important in recent years, as it should be. Players have begun speaking out about it to help get rid of the stigma that follows it.
LATEST NBA NEWS: Anthony Davis Speaks Out On Lakers’ Outlook After Injury Scare
Being in a good place mentally, as Anthony Davis says that he is, is just as important as being in a good place physically. That positive outlook will certainly help him during his rehab process, a daunting one to which he has spent too much time getting accustomed.
