Los Angeles Lakers superstar Anthony Davis is a lock to be inducted into the Hall of Fame once he retires. Any who disagree will be met with a résumé that holds up against some of the greatest big men in NBA history.
Beyond the accolades he's accumulated and the championships he's won, Davis has become one of the most productive players to ever grace the hardwood.
Davis will enter the 2024-25 season as a five-time All-NBA and five-time All-Defense honoree, as well as a nine-time All-Star. He's also on the cusp of scoring 20,000 career points and has won NBA and NCAA championships, as well as two Olympic gold medals.
The question is: What were the very best statistical performances of Davis' storied NBA career?
Points: 59 vs. Detroit Pistons, February 21, 2016
It's far from hyperbolic to state that Davis is one of the most prolific scorers in NBA history. He's recorded five 50-point games and 42 40-point games during his Hall of Fame career, and there's reason to believe that he isn't done yet.
On February 21, 2016, Davis produced the best game of his NBA career when he all but single-handedly defeated the Detroit Pistons, 111-106.
Davis dropped a career-high 59 points, 20 rebounds, four assists, and one block in the win over Detroit. He shot 24-of-34 from the field, 2-of-2 from beyond the arc, and 9-of-10 from the free throw line in a generational individual showing.
For those wondering if Davis can ever top that effort, it's worth noting that he's scored 50-plus points on two different occasions with the Lakers.
Rebounds: 26 vs. Brooklyn Nets, January 2, 2019
In addition to being one of the greatest scorers in NBA history, Davis is an all-time rebounder. He's pulled down at least 20 rebounds on 16 different occasions during regular season games, with his most prolific performance coming on January 2, 2019.
Matched up with the Brooklyn Nets, Davis did everything he could to lead the New Orleans Pelicans to victory.
New Orleans ultimately lost 126-121, but Davis was sensational in defeat. He posted 34 points, 26 rebounds, five offensive boards, four assists, three blocks, and a steal, shooting 12-of-25 from the field, 2-of-6 from beyond the arc, and 8-of-10 from the free throw line.
Davis has also posted seven 20-rebound games with the Lakers, including two during the 2023-24 regular season.
Assists: 11 (x2)
Not only did Davis set his career-high for assists with the Lakers, but he did so on two different occasions during the 2023-24 regular season. It's a testament to how far he's come as a playmaker during his time in Los Angeles.
With two 11-assist games, both of which were a part of triple-doubles, Davis cemented his status as one of the better facilitating bigs not named Nikola Jokic.
The first game was on January 13, 2024, when Davis tallied 15 points, 15 rebounds, 11 assists, four blocks, and a steal in a 132-125 loss to the Utah Jazz. Refusing to let his career-high come solely in a loss, he matched the effort less than a month later.
On February 5, 2024, Davis poured in 26 points, 15 rebounds, 11 assists, and three blocks as the Lakers defeated the Charlotte Hornets 124-118.
Blocks: 10 vs. Utah Jazz, March 11, 2018
Stop me if this is getting repetitive: Davis is one of the most prolific shot-blockers in NBA history. In addition to boasting a career average of 2.3 blocks per game, he's led the Association in the statistic on three different occasions: 2013-14, 2014-15, and 2017-18.
During the latter campaign, Davis set his career-high by protecting the paint with no room for hesitation and blocking every shot he could.
Davis finished with 25 points, 11 rebounds, three assists, 10 blocks, and three steals in a 116-99 loss to the Utah Jazz. It was a continuation of the future Hall of Famer tormenting Utah individually, albeit in a loss.
Davis also has five career games with at least four blocks, nine with at least eight, and 12 with seven-plus—including three while he was with the Lakers.
Steals: 7 vs. Minnesota Timberwolves, March 10, 2024
For the second time, we've arrived at a career-high that Davis set while with the Lakers. Moreover, it's the second time that he reached a new best during the 2023-24 season, particularly during Los Angeles' best stretch of the campaign—which is hardly a coincidence.
In addition to being a game in which Davis set a career-high, it was also one of the most dominant individual performances by a big all season.
Davis finished the 120-109 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves with 27 points, 25 rebounds, 10 offensive boards, five assists, seven steals, and three blocks. He shot 9-of-17 from the field and 9-of-13 from the free throw line as he systematically dissected Minnesota on both ends of the floor.
It was one of Davis' nine career games with at least five steals, as well as his fourth with at least six.
Three-Point Field Goals Made: 4 (x12)
While not known for his three-point shooting, Davis has shown an intriguing ability to space the floor with the Lakers. Of his 12 career games with at least four three-point field goals made, seven transpired while wearing the purple and gold.
The most recent outing was in 2021, when he did it twice in a span of five days—something the Lakers are likely to be hoping he can achieve again in 2024-25.