LeBron James says Anthony Davis is face of Lakers franchise - ESPN

EL SEGUNDO, Calif. — Two decades into his NBA career, with a trophy shelf that's running out of room due to all of his accomplishments, LeBron James sounds ready to pass the torch to teammate Anthony Davis as the leader of the Los Angeles Lakers.

«He is the face [of the franchise],» James told ESPN during the Lakers' annual media day Monday. «You look at all these [retired] numbers that surround this facility, all the greats that have come here and AD is one of them.»

Heading into the offseason, James' and Davis' contracts ran concurrently with one another — with both players having an option on the final years of deals to stay in L.A. through the 2024-25 season.

Davis pushed his timeline past James' in August, however, by signing a three-year, $186 million max extension to keep him with the purple and gold through 2028. At the time of the agreement, it was the most lucrative annual contract extension in league history, averaging $62 million per season.

«I was very, very happy and extremely proud,» James told ESPN when asked about Davis' deal. «It's super dope to see him get that extension to be a part of his franchise for years and years and years. And it's been a treat so far playing alongside of him and I hope we can do some great things.»

James publicly lobbied for L.A. to acquire Davis almost as soon as the four-time MVP joined the Lakers. The two meshed perfectly in their first season after the Lakers acquired Davis in a 2019 trade with the New Orleans Pelicans.

They capped their first season with a championship in the NBA bubble in Orlando, Florida, in 2020. The same level of success did not follow, with L.A. losing in the first round in 2021 and failing to qualify for the 2022 postseason altogether as injuries to