Anthony Davis ‘respecting’ LeBron James’ Lakers opt-out decision

Anthony Davis does not wish to influence LeBron James any which way over his impending free agency.

On Saturday, the 20-time All-Star and four-time NBA champ opted out of his $51.4 million player option with the Lakers — whom he has played with for six seasons and.

Los Angeles also recently drafted James’ son, Bonny, as the No. 55 overall pick of the 2024 NBA Draft.

But James will hit the open market once free agency opens up on Sunday though, according to multiple reports, he is expected to return to the Lakers

Davis, according to ESPN, said he will respect James’ decision and knows he will be notified of it before most people hear the news.

“I’m just respecting his space,” Davis told the outlet. “I know we’ll be together all summer and I know if he decides to do something — whether stay with the Lakers, opt-in or opt-out and re-sign or opt-out and choose a different path, I know he’ll tell me before he makes any [official] decision just because we have that relationship.

“So I’m pretty sure I’ll know before anybody else besides, like, his family and [agent] Rich [Paul].”

James’ agent, Rich Paul, told ESPN that the NBA star wants to help the Lakers beef up their roster.

“He is prioritizing a roster improvement,” Paul told the outlet after news of the opt-out came out. “He’s been adamant about exuding all efforts to improve the roster.”

Davis has played in five out of the six of James’ seasons in Los Angeles, and they won an NBA title together in the 2019-20 season in the COVID-19 bubble.

The friends will also join forces on the U.S. men’s basketball team in Paris for the 2024 Summer Olympics in July.

If James were to choose the Lakers as expected, it would make himself and Bronny the first father-son duo to play together in the NBA.