Over the past five years, Anthony Davis and LeBron James have become a decorated duo. Since 2019-20, they’ve won an NBA championship, reached a second Western Conference Finals, and secured Olympic gold as teammates with Team USA—their second time doing so since 2012.
If history continues to repeat itself, then the Los Angeles Lakers can expect to return to prominence as soon as the 2024-25 season.
Davis and James are riding high after helping Team USA win the gold medal in men’s 5-on-5 basketball at the 2024 Summer Olympics. It was the second time they’ve won gold as teammates, with the first being in 2012, when Davis was an incoming rookie who spent most of the tournament on the bench.
True as that may be, players who thrive on the international stage typically come back stronger—and few are better examples of that fact than Davis and James.
The previous time James won an Olympic gold medal was 2012, when he and Lakers legend Kobe Bryant led an unbelievable Team USA squad through the London Olympics. The very next NBA season, James put together what may have been the best individual year of his career.
James won a championship, a Finals MVP, and a regular season MVP award, finishing second in Defensive Player of the Year voting and earning All-Defensive First Team honors.
During that incredible season, James shot 40.6 percent from beyond the arc, marking his first-ever season above the 40.0 percent line. He saw an increase in rebounds, assists, blocks, and three-point field goals made per game, and posted a then career-best eFG% of .603.
Throw in the fact that James won his first-ever NBA MVP award in 2008-09, a season that started mere months after he won his first of three Olympic gold medals, and history is on the Lakers’ side.
It’d be irresponsible to expect James to play that well during his age-40 season in 2024-25, but the trend could still continue with him following an Olympic run with a stellar NBA campaign. If not, then look no further than his co-star for a powerful reason for optimism.
The previous time that Davis won an Olympic gold medal was in 2012—and he went on to finish second in NBA Rookie of the Year voting in 2012-13.
Furthermore, Davis won a gold medal with Team USA at the 2014 FIBA World Cup in Spain. The following NBA season, he earned All-NBA First Team honors for the first time, led the Association in blocks, and saw increases in points, rebounds, assists, blocks, and steals per game, as well as field goal and free throw percentage.
Considering Davis is coming off of a season in which he was named to the All-NBA Second Team and All-Defensive First Team, the only way up is contending and winning career-defining accolades.
It must be reiterated that James will turn 40 this season and Davis can’t possibly be much better than he was in 2023-24. In saying that, there’s a trend for both players that must be acknowledged: After playing internationally with Team USA, they’ve historically come back even stronger in the NBA.
It’s not guaranteed to occur again this coming season, but history is certainly on the Lakers’ side heading into the 2024-25 campaign.
