New Orleans Hornets / Pelicans (2012–2019) Rookie year (2012–2013) Davis declared for the
2012 NBA draft alongside the rest of the national championship team
starting five: fellow freshmen Kidd-Gilchrist and Teague, and sophomores Jones and
Doron Lamb. At the 2012
NBA Draft Combine, Davis measured at , and had the second-longest
wingspan——of any player participating. On June 28, the
New Orleans Hornets selected Davis with the
first overall pick. Davis became the fifth Chicago-area first overall selection following
Cazzie Russell (1966),
LaRue Martin (1972),
Mark Aguirre (1981) and
Derrick Rose (2008). On July 24, 2012, Davis signed a three-year $16 million guaranteed contract with the Hornets as prescribed by the NBA's collective bargaining agreement. On November 1, 2012, Davis made his debut against the
San Antonio Spurs. He scored a team high 21 in a losing effort. On November 2, Davis suffered a concussion that sidelined him for two-and-a-half games until November 9. In his November 9 return, he posted his first double-double with 23 points and 11 rebounds as well as 5 blocks, 2 steals and 2 assists in a victory over the
Charlotte Bobcats. On November 17, he totaled 28 points and 11 rebounds against the
Milwaukee Bucks. On November 20, Davis was announced to be out of the lineup for "a stress reaction" on his ankle. He was cleared to play on December 11, 2012, after missing 11 games. On December 18, he posted a career-high 4 steals to go along with 15 points and a then-career-high 16 rebounds against the
Golden State Warriors in his first start since being disabled on November 20. Davis appeared in the February 15, 2013
Rising Stars Challenge during the
2013 NBA All-Star Game weekend. Davis was removed from the Hornets' lineup on February 27 following a collision with
Brook Lopez the prior night in which he sprained his left shoulder. On March 5, Davis returned to the starting lineup with 17 points, 15 rebounds and 4 blocked shots against the
Orlando Magic. On March 9, Davis established a career high in rebounds with 18 to go along with 20 points against the
Memphis Grizzlies. On March 20, Davis tipped in the game-winning basket over Kevin Garnett against the Boston Celtics with 0.3 seconds remaining. On April 10, Davis suffered a season-ending left knee
medial collateral ligament sprain and bone bruise. He was injured in a collision with
Marcus Thornton of the
Sacramento Kings. He was a 2013
NBA All-Rookie First Team selection, and finished second in
NBA Rookie of the Year voting (with 306 points) to
Damian Lillard (605). His 20 double-doubles was the most in his rookie class. His rookie skill set was said to resemble a young
Lamar Odom, but he added over following his rookie season. After the 2012–13 season, the Hornets renamed themselves the Pelicans. Davis donated $65,000 toward the construction of a basketball court at his alma mater, Perspectives. On October 16, 2013, during the preseason of Davis's sophomore year for the
2013–14 New Orleans Pelicans, the Pelicans exercised the team's third-year option on Davis's contract.
First All-Star selection (2013–2014) on January 1, 2014. Davis began the
2013–14 NBA season with the newly-renamed Pelicans with a pair of double-doubles, posting 20 points and 12 rebounds against
Indiana on October 30 and 26 points and 17 rebounds against
Orlando on November 1. In the Orlando game, Davis became the youngest player in franchise history to record 25 points and 15 rebounds in a game. For the week, Davis earned an
NBA Player of the Week nomination, but lost out to
Kevin Love. On November 8, against the
Los Angeles Lakers, Davis scored a career-high 32 points and tied a career high with 6 blocks, along with 12 rebounds, becoming the youngest player ever to have at least 30 points, 10 rebounds and 5 blocks in an NBA game. On November 16, he established a new career high with 8 blocks against
Philadelphia. He again had 8 blocks on November 20 against the
Utah Jazz. With two 8-block games in the Pelicans' first 11 games of the 2013–14 NBA season, Davis matched the number of 8-block games that
Roy Hibbert had at that time in the
2012–13 and 2013–14 NBA seasons combined. No other players had two 8-block games as recently. According to ESPN, while drawing a
charging foul from
Amar'e Stoudemire, Davis suffered a non-displaced fracture in his left hand in the first quarter against the
New York Knicks on December 1.
Yahoo! Sports claims the injury came on an attempted
alley oop. On December 3, the Pelicans announced a four-to-six-week layoff was expected. The injury came the night before he was supposed to play in his hometown of Chicago, marking the second year in a row that he was sidelined for his chance to play in his hometown. Davis returned to the lineup on December 18 against the
Los Angeles Clippers with 24 points, 12 rebounds and 3 steals. He returned to the starting lineup in the next game with 21 points, 9 rebounds, 2 blocks and a steal against
Portland on December 21. He missed 7 games due to the injury. In his seventh consecutive 20-point game (all losses), Davis posted 31 points and 17 rebounds against
Golden State. In the subsequent game on January 20, he helped the Pelicans snap an 8-game losing streak with 27 points, 10 rebounds, 4 assists and 4 blocks against
Memphis. On January 26, Davis established a new career high with 19 rebounds, in addition to posting 22 points and 7 blocks, in a 100–92 victory over the Orlando Magic. On January 27, Davis was a finalist for Western Conference Player of the Week but lost out to
Kevin Durant. The January 28 contest against the
Cleveland Cavaliers featuring the last three
first overall NBA draft picks (
Anthony Bennett, Davis and
Kyrie Irving), Davis posted 30 points, 8 blocks, 7 rebounds and 3 assists. However, he dislocated his left
index finger causing him to miss the next game the following night. On January 29, he was named a
Rising Stars Challenge participant as part of the
2014 NBA All-Star Game weekend. On February 7, he was selected to replace
Kobe Bryant in the
2014 NBA All-Star Game. On February 26, Davis sprained his left shoulder late in the first half against the
Dallas Mavericks. He did not play in the rest of the game, and his subsequent availability was listed as day-to-day. Despite his shoulder sprain, Davis matched his career high with 32 points on February 28 against the
Phoenix Suns. He was one of six Western Conference Player of the Week nominees on March 10. On March 14, Davis established a career high with 36 points against Portland. On March 16, 2014, (the very next game) Davis scored a career-high 40 points along with a career-high 21 rebounds in a 121–120 overtime win against the
Boston Celtics. The performance was the first 40-point, 20-rebound effort of the
2013–14 NBA season. Davis was the fourth-youngest player (21 years and 5 days) to achieve 40/20 in a game and the youngest since
Shaquille O'Neal in 1993. In addition to his career game, Davis set a New Orleans' franchise record with six straight games of at least 28 points.
Glen Rice set the previous best stretch with five straight in the 1990s. It was also the first 40-point performance by a Pelican/Hornet since
David West on February 26, 2010. Davis was again a finalist for NBA Player of the Week on March 17 and 24. In late March, Davis began suffering a series of injuries. On March 28, Davis injured his left ankle, after four minutes of play against the Jazz. He missed the rest of the game and the next one. Davis returned to the lineup on March 31 against
Sacramento. However, on April 2, Davis endured back spasms that caused him to miss the second half against the
Nuggets. Davis saw limited minutes on April 4 and missed a game on April 9 due to his back. On April 10, the team announced that Davis would miss the remaining four games. Davis finished the season as the NBA leader in blocked shots per game (2.82). Davis was the youngest NBA leading shot blocker at (on April 16, ). The record was surpassed 10 seasons later by
Victor Wembanyama at (on April 14, ). Because of his improved performance this season against his rookie season, Davis finished third in the
NBA Most Improved Player Award voting behind
Lance Stephenson and
Goran Dragić.
First All-NBA and playoff appearances (2014–2015) Davis began the
2014–15 NBA season against the
Orlando Magic with one of the best season-opening performances of all time: 26 points, 17 rebounds, 9 blocks, 3 steals and 2 assists. It was the first 9-block season-opener since
Nate Thurmond had 12 to open the
1974–75 NBA season. The performance also marked the first 26-point/17-rebound/9-block/3-steal effort since
Hakeem Olajuwon during the
1989–90 NBA season. On November 8, against the
San Antonio Spurs, he posted 27 points, 11 rebounds and 6 blocks, including the game-winning basket with 6.6 seconds remaining. It marked the 5th time Davis had 25 points, 10 rebounds and 5 blocks since the beginning of the prior season. No other player has had multiple such games in that time. On November 22, Davis scored a career-high 43 points along with 14 rebounds against the
Utah Jazz. He was a finalist for October/November Western Conference Player of the Month. On December 2, Davis fell one assist and one block short of becoming the youngest NBA player to ever record a
five-by-five with a 25-point, 10-rebound, 4-assist, 6-steal, 4-block performance against the
Oklahoma City Thunder. Davis entered the December 12, 2014, contest against the
Cleveland Cavaliers with a
player efficiency rating (PER) of 32.9, which would be the highest in NBA history if maintained for the full season. Davis was injured in the game and left in the first quarter. Davis was sidelined in the subsequent contest. He was a finalist for December Western Conference Player of the Month. On February 6, despite having missed his last 11 three-point shots and having a career 2-for-23 three-point career record, Davis made a game-winning three-point
buzzer beater against
Oklahoma City Thunder as part of a 41-point, 10-rebound double-double. The 41-point performance marked a New Orleans record 13th consecutive 20-point performance, surpassing
Pete Maravich of the
1976–77 New Orleans Jazz. On February 7, 2015, Davis injured his shoulder after falling off the rim when he received an alley-oop. As a result of the injury, he withdrew from the
2015 NBA All-Star Game, and was replaced on the roster by
Dirk Nowitzki and in the starting lineup by
LaMarcus Aldridge. Davis missed five games in late February and early March to the shoulder sprain. He returned against the
Detroit Pistons with a very dominant game performance of 39 points, 13 rebounds and 8 blocks, numbers that only
Hakeem Olajuwon and
Dwight Howard had achieved in a game in the prior 30 years. Davis also reached 437 career blocks, a franchise record. On March 9, Davis tied his career high with 43 points and added 10 rebounds, 2 blocks and a steal in a 114–103 win against the
Milwaukee Bucks. On March 15 in a double overtime game against the
Denver Nuggets, Davis became the first player in NBA history to tally 36 points, 14 rebounds, 9 blocks and 7 assists in a game since blocks became a statistic in 1973. Only
David Robinson has had at least 30 points, 11 rebounds, 8 blocks and 7 assists in a game. On March 16, Davis earned Western Conference Player of the Week for games played Monday, March 9, through Sunday, March 15 and was a finalist for Western Conference Player of the Month of March. In the final game of the regular season, a must-win game that would send the Pelicans to the
2015 NBA playoffs, Davis recorded 31 points, 13 rebounds and 3 blocks in a 108–103 victory over the defending-champion San Antonio Spurs. The playoff berth was Davis's first and the franchise's first since 2011. Davis's season was one of the most impressive in NBA history, finishing the season averaging 24.4 points, 10.2 rebounds, 2.9 blocks, and leading the league in
player efficiency rating with 30.89. He was a finalist for Western Conference Player of the Month again in April. In his first career playoff series, Davis averaged 31.5 points, 11.0 rebounds and 3.0 blocks per game. Although swept by the overall number one seeded
Golden State Warriors, who went on to win the NBA championship, Davis joined
Shaquille O'Neal,
Hakeem Olajuwon, and
Karl Malone as the only players in the past 20 seasons to average 30 points and 10 rebounds in the playoffs. Davis also became the first player in 40 years to average 30 points and 10 rebounds in a player's first playoff series, with the only other players to do so being
Wilt Chamberlain,
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and
Bob McAdoo. 5th in the
NBA Most Valuable Player Award voting, sixth in the
NBA Most Improved Player Award voting. He was selected to the
All-NBA First Team for the first time in his career, becoming the first player to make the first team in his first three seasons since
Derrick Rose did so in the
2010–11 NBA season. He was also an
NBA All-Defensive Team second team selection.
Season-ending injury (2015–2016) on February 21, 2016. His 59 points set a new franchise record. On July 9, 2015, Davis signed a five-year, $145 million contract extension with the Pelicans. On November 6, he tied his career-high of 43 points in a loss to the
Atlanta Hawks. On December 1, he tied a career-high 9 blocked shots in an offensive off night against the
Memphis Grizzlies. On December 20, in a win over the
Denver Nuggets, Davis scored a single-quarter career-high 19 first quarter points to finish the game with 27. On January 15, Davis converted an
alley oop dunk from
Jrue Holiday with 2 seconds remaining to give New Orleans a 109–107 victory over the
Charlotte Hornets. On January 28, Davis was named as a reserve for the
2016 NBA All-Star Game. He again came close to a five-by-five with a 28-point, 10-rebound, 4-assist, 4-block, 4-steal effort on February 3 against the
San Antonio Spurs. The following day, he was named to the
NBA All-Star Weekend Skills Challenge lineup. On February 21, in a win over the
Detroit Pistons, Davis scored a franchise-record 59 points and pulled down 20 rebounds. The previous franchise record was 50 points by
Jamal Mashburn exactly 13 years earlier against the
Memphis Grizzlies. Davis joined
Shaquille O'Neal and
Chris Webber as the only NBA players with 50 points and 20 rebounds in a game since 1983. Davis also became just the 20th player in NBA history to score at least 59 points in a game, and became the youngest player in NBA history to score 59 points in a game, and the second youngest (behind
Bob McAdoo) to record 50 points and 20 rebounds in a game. The 59 points was an NBA-wide season high at the time. The total was not surpassed until the final night of the season when
Kobe Bryant posted 60 in his final career game. Davis posted a third 40-point game (40 points and 13 rebounds) on March 9 against the
Charlotte Hornets. On March 20, he was ruled out for the rest of the season with a left knee injury and a torn labrum in his left shoulder. Upon being deactivated, Davis claimed that he had been playing through left shoulder pain since his rookie season.
All-Star record-breaker (2016–2017) On October 26, Davis began the season with a 50-point, 16-rebound, 7-steal (career high), 5-assist, 4-block performance against the
Denver Nuggets. He was one block short of his first five-by-five. It was the first 50-point, 15-rebound, 5-assist, 5-steal performance in NBA history since steals became an officially recorded statistic in the 1973–74 season. His 50-point night was the second highest scoring output of his career and was the most by any NBA player in a season opener since
Michael Jordan scored 54 points in 1989. Two days later, he had 45 points and 17 rebounds against the
Golden State Warriors, becoming the first back-to-back-game 40-point scorer in Pelicans history (since the New Orleans Hornets creation in 2002). On November 10, he scored 32 points against the
Milwaukee Bucks, helping the Pelicans record their first win of the season after starting 0–8. On November 19, Davis posted 38 points and 16 rebounds, including 11 of the Pelicans' final 16 in an overtime win against the
Charlotte Hornets. He posted the game-tying score with 18 seconds remaining in regulation. On November 23, he had a 45-point effort in a 117–96 win over the
Minnesota Timberwolves; it was the Pelicans' fourth straight win. On December 23, he had 28 points, a career-high 22 rebounds and four blocked shots in a 91–87 win over the
Miami Heat. On January 19, Davis was selected as a starter for the
2017 NBA All-Star Game, marking his fourth selection and second as a starter. On January 27, he had 16 points and tied a career high with 22 rebounds in a 119–103 win over the
San Antonio Spurs. On February 2, he was selected as a participant in the
NBA All-Star Weekend Skills Challenge. On February 10, he had 42 points and 13 rebounds in a 122–106 win over the Timberwolves. Davis scored 40 for the sixth time this season, and it was his highest-scoring game since he put up 45 against Minnesota on November 23. On February 19, 2017, playing on his team's home floor for the
NBA All-Star Game, Davis notched 52 points and 10 rebounds, breaking Wilt Chamberlain's previous All-Star record high of 42 points, and also won the game's Most Valuable Player award. This record has since been broken by
Jayson Tatum in
2023. On March 11, 2017, Davis scored 46 points and grabbed 21 rebounds in a 125–122 overtime win over the
Charlotte Hornets. On March 31, 2017, Davis had 19 points, 12 rebounds and five blocks in a 117–89 win over the
Sacramento Kings. During the game, Davis became the first player in Pelicans history to reach 2,000 points in a season. Following the season, he edged out
Rudy Gobert as the center on the All-NBA first team. He was also named to the NBA All-Defensive Second Team for the second time.
Second playoff appearance (2017–2018) of the
Washington Wizards on December 19, 2017. On November 22, 2017, Davis had 29 points and 11 rebounds in a 107–90 win over the
San Antonio Spurs. He finished the game with 7,938 career points, moving him into second in franchise history ahead of
Chris Paul (7,936). He was subsequently named the Western Conference Player of the Week for games played from November 20–26. Davis led the Pelicans to a 3–1 week behind averages of 29.5 points on .586 shooting from the floor, 12.5 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.3 blocks. Davis missed three games in early December with an adductor strain. On December 27, 2017, he had 33 points, 11 rebounds and six blocks in a 128–113 win over the
Brooklyn Nets. On January 14, 2018, Davis scored a season-high 48 points and grabbed 17 rebounds, leading New Orleans back from 19 points down late in the third quarter to a 123–118 overtime victory over the
New York Knicks. He followed that up with a 45-point/16-rebound overtime effort on January 16 to lead the Pelicans past the
Boston Celtics 116–113. On January 18, he was named a
2018 NBA All-Star Game starter. On January 28, he had 25 points and 17 rebounds in a 112–103 loss to the
Los Angeles Clippers. Davis's rebound total gave him a franchise all-time high of 3,857, eclipsing
David West's mark of 3,853. On February 2, he passed West as the franchise's all-time leading scorer by posting 43 points in a win against the
Los Angeles Clippers giving him a total of 8,702. On February 23, he had 45 points, 17 rebounds, five blocked shots and five steals in a 124–123 overtime win over the
Miami Heat. He hit a 3-pointer during the game, giving him a career-best 41 3-pointers in a single season. Three days later, he recorded a season-high 53 points, 18 rebounds and five blocked shots in a 125–116 win over the
Phoenix Suns. In the game he made a franchise record 21 free throws. On March 6, he scored 41 points despite a rib contusion in helping the Pelicans defeat the Clippers 121–116. He also tied his career high with four 3-pointers and had 13 rebounds. Five days later, on his 25th birthday, Davis recorded his first career
triple-double with 25 points, 11 rebounds and a career-high 10 blocks in a 116–99 loss to the
Utah Jazz. His 10 blocks in a game set a franchise record and he tied his own franchise mark with six blocks in one half. Davis earned
NBA Player of the Month for both the Month of February 2018 on March 1 and for the March/April time period on April 11. In the Pelicans' regular season finale on April 11, Davis had 22 points, 15 rebounds, four blocks and three steals in a 122–98 win over the Spurs. In Game 1 of the Pelicans' first-round playoff series against the
Portland Trail Blazers, Davis had 35 points, 14 rebounds, four blocks and two steals in a 97–95 win. It was the Pelicans' first postseason win since 2011 and the first of Davis's six-year career. In Game 4, Davis scored 33 of his franchise playoff-record 47 points in the second half, as the Pelicans completed a first-round sweep of the Trail Blazers with a 131–123 victory. In Game 3 of the Pelicans' second-round series against the
Golden State Warriors, Davis recorded 33 points, 18 rebounds and four steals, as the Pelicans defeated the Warriors 119–100 to trim Golden State's series lead to 2–1. The Pelicans went on to lose the series in five games, with Davis recording 34 points, 19 rebounds and four blocks in a 113–104 loss in Game 5. At the end of the season, he finished 3rd in the
NBA Most Valuable Player Award voting and 3rd in the
NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award voting. Following the season, he earned his first
NBA All-Defensive First Team and his third
All-NBA First Team selections.
Requesting a trade (2018–2019) In the Pelicans' season opener on October 17, Davis had 32 points, 16 rebounds and a career-high eight assists to go with three blocks and three steals in a 131–112 win over the
Houston Rockets. On November 7, he had 32 points, 15 rebounds and four blocks in a 107–98 win over the
Chicago Bulls. On November 12, he had 25 points and a season-high 20 rebounds in a 126–110 win over the
Toronto Raptors. It was the fifth 20-point, 20-rebound game of Davis's career. On November 16, he scored a season-high 43 points and grabbed 17 rebounds in a 129–124 win over the
New York Knicks. A day later, he recorded 40 points, eight rebounds and a career high-tying eight assists in a 125–115 win over the
Denver Nuggets. On November 21, Davis missed the third of three free throws with 2.5 seconds left, as the Pelicans lost 121–120 to the
Philadelphia 76ers. He finished with 12 points and 16 rebounds and reached 10,000 career points with a dunk late in the first half. He became the eighth-youngest player to reach the milestone at the age of 25 years and 255 days. Davis also recorded 5 steals, 5 blocks and 6 assists to achieve a five-by-five. On December 5, he scored 27 points to go with a career-high nine assists, five blocks and four rebounds (nine below his average) in a 132–106 win over the
Dallas Mavericks. On December 12, he had 44 points and 18 rebounds in a 118–114 win over the
Oklahoma City Thunder. On December 28, he hit a go-ahead, fall-away jumper with 43.9 seconds left and scored a season-high 48 points to lift the Pelicans to a 114–112 win over the Mavericks. On January 2, 2019, Davis posted a career-high and franchise-record 26 rebounds along with 34 points against the
Brooklyn Nets. On January 14, he had 46 points and 16 rebounds in a 121–117 win over the
Los Angeles Clippers. On January 19, he was ruled out for one to two weeks with a left index finger sprain, an injury sustained the previous night against the
Portland Trail Blazers. On January 28, Davis informed the Pelicans that he would not sign a contract extension in the coming off-season, and requested a trade. He was eligible to become a free agent in the summer of 2020. A day later, the NBA fined him $50,000 for making his request public. Davis recovered from his injury and was available to play, but the Pelicans said they would hold him out until after the league trade deadline on February 7. After the deadline passed without a trade, the team announced that Davis would play the rest of the season; they faced potential fines by the league if they held him out. On February 8, he played for first time since his trade request. He had 32 points, nine rebounds and three blocks in 25 minutes before being benched for the entire fourth quarter in a 122–117 win over the
Minnesota Timberwolves.
Los Angeles Lakers (2019–2025) First NBA championship (2019–2020) In July 2019, the Pelicans traded Davis to the
Los Angeles Lakers in exchange for
Lonzo Ball,
Brandon Ingram,
Josh Hart and three first-round draft picks, including the Lakers' No. 4 overall selection in the
2019 NBA draft. Davis switched his jersey number to 3 because
LeBron James already wore No. 23. Although James attempted to relinquish No. 23 to Davis, he was unable to change his number because
Nike refused to allow it. He made his Lakers debut on October 22, 2019, against the
Los Angeles Clippers, putting up 25 points, 10 rebounds and 5 assists in 37 minutes in a 112–102 loss. On October 29, he became the first Laker to put up a 40-point and 20-rebound performance since
Shaquille O'Neal in 2003. Additionally, Davis did this in 30 minutes of play, which has never been done in the history of the NBA. In the game Davis set the NBA record for free throws in a quarter (18) and the Lakers record for free throws in a half (18) and game (26). On December 8, Davis scored a season-high 50 points in a 142–125 victory over the
Minnesota Timberwolves. On January 3, 2020, Davis had 46 points and 13 rebounds in a 123–113 win over the Pelicans. On January 5, Davis had 8 of the Lakers' 20 blocks against Detroit. Although 20 was one block shy of the franchise record, the team set an all-time NBA record for block percentage (25.6%) by blocking 20 of 78 shot attempts. On January 23, 2020, he was
selected to be a
front-court starter for the
NBA All-Star Game. In January 2020, Davis declined the Lakers' offer of a four-year, $146 million max extension, opting to enter free agency, where he could earn a five-year, $202 million max contract in the upcoming summer. On August 8, Davis had 42 points and 12 rebounds in a 116–108 win over the
Utah Jazz to help the Lakers clinch the No. 1 playoff seed in the Western conference. Davis was the team leader in rebounds (9.3), blocks (2.3, 3rd in the NBA) and steals (1.5) for the season. He played in 62 of 71 games during the regular season and finished as a runner-up in voting for the
NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award. In Game 2 of the Western Conference finals, Davis hit a game winning 3-pointer against the
Denver Nuggets while putting up 31 points and scoring the last 10 points for the Lakers in a 105–103 win for 2–0 lead in the series. It was Davis second career (first in the playoff) game-winning
buzzer beater. Davis became the eighth player to achieve the
basketball Triple Crown, and the first player to win an NCAA title, an Olympic gold medal, a FIBA World Cup, and an NBA title, Davis and James were the first teammates to be first team
All-NBA since 2007. For the 2020–21 season, he was sidelined for 30 games from February to April 2021, the longest absence of his career, due to right calf and heel issues. In the opening round of the playoffs, the Lakers were up 2–1 in the series against the
Phoenix Suns when Davis suffered a strained left groin in Game 4. He was also sidelined in Game 5, when the Suns took a 3–2 lead. The Lakers were eliminated in six games, despite Davis playing only five minutes in the first quarter of a 113–100 closeout loss in Game 6. When James switched his jersey number to 6 at the beginning of the next season, Davis had the opportunity to wear No. 23 again, but chose to stick with his current number, citing his desire to have No. 3
retired by the Lakers. He missed 17 games before returning in late January, and for the first time since 2013 was not selected for the
2022 NBA All-Star Game. On February 16, 2022, in a 106–101 win against the
Utah Jazz, Davis injured his right ankle and missed 18 games.
Return from injury and Western Conference Finals (2022–2023) and Davis On November 13, 2022, Davis scored 37 points and grabbed 18 rebounds in a 116–103 win over the
Brooklyn Nets, to help the Los Angeles Lakers snap a five-game losing streak. In the next game, Davis recorded a then season-high 38 points, 16 rebounds and 4 blocks in a 128–121 win over the
Detroit Pistons. On November 22, Davis posted a then-season-high 21 rebounds along with 37 points, 5 steals and 5 blocks in a 115–105 loss against the
Phoenix Suns. He became the first player since the
1973–74 season (when blocks and steals became an official stat) to record 35-plus points, 20-plus boards, 5-plus steals and 5-plus blocks in a game. It was his fourth consecutive game with 30-plus points and 15-plus rebounds. Davis also became just the third Laker in franchise history to record 30-plus points and 15-plus rebounds in four consecutive games, joining
Elgin Baylor (had seven such streaks) and
Shaquille O'Neal (November 19–26, 1999). On December 2, Davis scored a then season-high 44 points, along with 10 rebounds, 4 assists and 3 blocks in a 133–129 victory over the
Milwaukee Bucks. On December 4, Davis scored a season-high 55 points along with 17 rebounds and three blocks in a 130–119 win over the
Washington Wizards. He joined
Kevin McHale as only the second player in NBA history to put up at least 55 points, 15 rebounds and three blocks in a game since blocks became an official stat in the 1973–74 season. Davis became only the fourth player to score at least 99 points in a two-game span while shooting at least 70% from the field; Elgin Baylor had three of those streaks,
Wilt Chamberlain had two and
David Thompson had one. He also became the first Laker with back-to-back 40-point games since
Kobe Bryant in March 2013. On December 5, Davis was named the NBA Western Conference
Player of the Week for Week 7 (November 28 – December 4), his eighth career NBA Player of the Week award and first with the Lakers. He led the Lakers to 3–1 week with averages of 37.8 points, 13.0 rebounds and 3.25 blocks. On January 25, 2023, Davis returned after missing the previous twenty games with a right foot injury. He posted 21 points, 12 rebounds and four blocks in 26 minutes off the bench in a 113–104 win over the
San Antonio Spurs. On February 26, he led the Lakers to a 111–108 come-from-behind victory over the
Dallas Mavericks with 30 points and 15 rebounds. It was the biggest comeback of the season at that time, and the Lakers' biggest comeback in franchise history since 2002. On March 5, Davis recorded 39 points, eight rebounds and six assists in an 113–105 win over the reigning champions the
Golden State Warriors. On March 7, Davis put up 30 points and a season-high 22 rebounds in a 112–103 win over the
Memphis Grizzlies. He also became the first Laker to drop multiple games with at least 30 points and 20 rebounds in a season since Shaquille O'Neal in
2003–04 season. On April 3, Davis was named NBA Western Conference Player of the Week for Week 20 (March 27 – April 2). Davis averaged 38.7 points (.652 FG%, .806 FT%), 11.7 rebounds, 1.0 steals and 2.0 blocks in three games, as the Lakers finished the week 3–0 with road victories over Chicago, Minnesota and Houston. He also earned NBA Western Conference Player of the Month for March/April on April 11, 2023. In Game 1 of the Lakers' first-round playoff series against the Memphis Grizzlies, Davis recorded 22 points, 12 rebounds, three assists, three steals and a playoff career-high seven blocks in a 128–112 win. In Game 3 of the Lakers' first-round playoff series against the Memphis Grizzlies, Davis put up 31 points, 17 rebounds, two assists, two steals and three blocks in a 111–101 win. In Game 1 of the Lakers' second-round playoff series against the Golden State Warriors, Davis posted 30 points, a playoff career-high 23 rebounds, five assists and four blocks in a 117–112 win. He joined
Tim Duncan as the only players in NBA history to put up at least 30 points, 20 rebounds, five assists and three blocks in a playoff game. In Game 1 of the
Western Conference Finals, Davis recorded 40 points, 10 rebounds, three assists, three steals and two blocks in a 132–126 loss against the
Denver Nuggets. The Lakers ultimately lost the series to the
eventual NBA champion Nuggets in a four-game sweep. During the 2023 playoffs, Davis became the third Lakers player with 50 blocks in a single postseason, behind only Shaquille O'Neal and
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
NBA Cup champion and final seasons with the Lakers (2023–2025) On August 4, 2023, Davis signed a three-year, $186 million contract extension with the
Los Angeles Lakers. On December 10, 2023, Davis won the inaugural NBA Cup with the Lakers after winning the
2023 NBA In-Season Tournament. Davis had 41 points on 16-for-24 shooting, 20 rebounds, 5 assists and 4 blocks against the
Indiana Pacers in the
championship game. Davis was recognized as a member of the All-Tournament team. On January 9, 2024, he scored 20 of his season-high 41 points in the fourth quarter on 13-of-17 shooting, 2-of-2 from three, 13-of-14 from the free throw line along with eleven rebounds and six assists in a 132–131 win over the
Toronto Raptors. On January 13, Davis recorded his second career triple-double with 15 points, 15 rebounds, a career-high 11 assists and four blocks in a 132–125 loss against the
Utah Jazz. On February 1, Davis was named as reserve for the
2024 NBA All-Star Game, his ninth selection. On February 5, Davis put up his third career triple-double with 26 points, 15 rebounds, and 11 assists in a 124–118 win over the
Charlotte Hornets. He also became the first player in Lakers franchise history to put up at least 25 points on 75% shooting, 15 rebounds, and 10 assists in a game. On February 29, Davis posted 40 points, 15 rebounds, four assists and three blocks in a 134–131 overtime win over the
Washington Wizards. On March 10, Davis logged 27 points, a season-high 25 rebounds, a career-high seven steals, five assists, and three blocks in a 120–109 victory against the
Minnesota Timberwolves; he became the first player in NBA history to record 25+ points, 25+ rebounds, 5+ assists, and 5+ steals in a single game. On March 16, he suffered an eye contusion in a game against the Golden State Warriors. The Lakers lost the game 128–121. On March 26, Davis recorded 34 points, 23 rebounds, two assists, two steals and four blocks, playing a career-high 52 minutes in a 128–124 double overtime win over the
Milwaukee Bucks. In Game 4 of the Lakers'
first round playoffs series against the
Denver Nuggets, Davis posted 25 points, 23 rebounds, and 6 assists in a 119–108 win. The Lakers would go on to lose to the Nuggets in five games despite strong play from Davis. In the Lakers' season opener on October 22, Davis logged 36 points, 16 rebounds, four assists and three blocks in a 110–103 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves. He had a perfect fourth quarter where he scored 11 points without missing a field goal attempt. Davis posted his 15th game as a Laker with 35+ points and 15+ rebounds – tying
Wilt Chamberlain for the fourth-most in team history. The Lakers are 13–2 in those games. On October 25, Davis scored 35 points in a 123–116 victory against the
Phoenix Suns. He became the 3rd Lakers player to make consecutive 35-point games during his first two season games, after
Jerry West and
Elgin Baylor. On November 15, Davis scored a season-high 40 points and grabbed 12 rebounds, including drilling two pivotal 3-pointers in the fourth quarter of a 120–115 win over the
San Antonio Spurs. On December 6, Davis recorded 38 points, 10 rebounds and 8 assists in a 134–132 overtime loss against the
Atlanta Hawks. On December 16, Davis tied his season-high with 40 points and grabbed 16 rebounds in a 116–110 win over the
Memphis Grizzlies. On January 27, 2025, Davis opened the game against the
Charlotte Hornets with 21 points and 11 rebounds in the first quarter, on his way to a 42 point, 23 rebound win. Ahead of the league's February trade deadline, he renewed calls for the Lakers to acquire a center, freeing him to play his preferred power forward position. On January 30, Davis was named as reserve for the
2025 NBA All-Star Game, his tenth selection.
Dallas Mavericks (2025–2026) On February 2, 2025, Davis was traded, alongside
Max Christie and a 2029 first-round pick, to the
Dallas Mavericks in exchange for
Luka Dončić,
Maxi Kleber, and
Markieff Morris. The Mavericks additionally traded a 2025 second round pick to the
Utah Jazz, who also acquired
Jalen Hood-Schifino and a 2025 second-round pick from the Lakers. The trade was regarded as one of the most significant and unexpected in NBA history, marking the first time two reigning All-NBA players were traded for each other midseason. On February 8, Davis made his Mavericks debut, putting up 26 points, 16 rebounds, seven assists, and three blocks in a 116–105 win over the
Houston Rockets. He also joined Dončić and
Michael Finley as the only players to put up at least 20 points, 10 rebounds, and five assists in a half in Mavericks franchise history. Davis strained his left
adductor in the game, however, which analysts expected to sideline him for multiple weeks. On March 17, Davis was assigned to the
Texas Legends. After missing 18 games, Davis returned from injury on March 24 in a 120–101 win over the Brooklyn Nets. He hit a game-winning shot against the Atlanta Hawks on April 2, returning late after suffering an eye injury earlier in the game. Davis finished the game with 34 points, 15 rebounds and five blocks. He also joined
Daniel Gafford as the only players in franchise history to record a game with at least 30 points, 15 rebounds and five blocks. On April 11, Davis recorded his fourth career triple-double with 23 points, 13 rebounds, 10 assists and a season-high 7 blocks in a 124–102 win over the
Toronto Raptors. He became the first player in NBA history to post 20+ points, 10+ rebounds, 10+ assists and 5+ blocks in under 31 minutes. Despite Davis delivering a 40-point, 9-rebound performance in the Play-In Tournament game against the
Memphis Grizzlies, the Mavericks were eliminated from playoff contention with a 120–106 loss. On July 8, 2025, Davis underwent surgery to repair a
detached retina in his right eye. On October 1, it was announced that Davis would need to wear protective
goggles for the remainder of his career. On January 8, 2026, Davis suffered a left hand injury during a 116–114 loss to the
Utah Jazz late in the fourth quarter and did not return. At the time of his departure, he had posted 21 points, 11 rebounds, and 4 assists. An MRI conducted the following day revealed ligament damage, raising initial concerns that surgery might be required. However, the team later opted for non-surgical treatment, with an expected recovery period of several weeks.
Washington Wizards (2026–present) On February 5, 2026, Davis was traded, alongside
Jaden Hardy,
D'Angelo Russell, and
Dante Exum, to the Washington Wizards in exchange for
Khris Middleton,
Marvin Bagley III,
AJ Johnson, a 2026 first-round pick (via OKC), a 2030 protected first-round pick (via GSW), and three second-round picks. Davis chose to wear No. 23, becoming the first Wizards player to do so since
Michael Jordan retired following the
2002–03 season. ==Career statistics==