Twelve years have come and gone since the then 19-year-old Anthony Davis made his Olympic debut for the USA Basketball Men’s National Team.
The Chicago native and former Kentucky Wildcat was selected as the No. 1 overall pick in the 2012 NBA Draft – exactly two weeks from the onset of exhibition play ahead of the Olympic Games London 2012, where the United States would be vying for a second consecutive gold medal.
Only, his role during the Americans’ 8-0 run involved mostly spectating.
“I was the guy cheering for everybody, the towel waver, the rookie,” Davis said. “I was 19 years old, just enjoying that experience.”
Surrounded by more established NBA and USA Basketball veterans, Davis instead piled mental takeaways that helped him prepare for his ensuing career.
“I got a jump start that most rookies don’t get,” Davis said. “Being around all of those guys and learning, watching how they work, how to be a true professional, how to come to work every day and grind…Everybody was really locked in, and I was able to see that first-hand.”
Practices, in Davis’ own words, were designed to be as intense as any situation the red, white and blue could potentially face during competition. The guidance he received extended off the floor, where Davis quickly understood that his college days were long behind him. Many of the guidelines about how Davis presented himself as a professional, across all aspects, trace back to that experience.
“I think that helped me tremendously, and that’s why it has a lot to do with the player I am today,” Davis continued.
Now he is back in the same No. 14 jersey that he first sported over a decade ago. In this 2024 iteration of the Men’s National Team – considered among the most decorated rosters the United States has ever put forth – Davis is an essential cog in the Americans’ machine taking aim at a fifth consecutive gold medal in the Olympic Games Paris 2024.
“I know the role and the experience will be different,” Davis said, “just being an intricate part of this team, doing the game plans and the schematics and stuff, being incorporated into that whereas in ‘12, AD’s on the bench and he just cheers. I’m looking forward to the experience of being a true part of this team, being a vet in the Olympics…and trying to win another gold medal.”
The Men’s National Team coaches didn’t wait long to lay out why Davis, alongside fellow bigs Joel Embiid and Bam Adebayo, would be so crucial to backing the lofty expectations of this group. The same habits of rim running, crashing the glass and game-wrecking presence among this cast of 12 is so pivotal.
“Honestly, we want to get back that dominance on the inside,” Davis said, “and I think me, Bam and Jo is a good start for us. What we can do offensively, what we can do defensively.”
On top of the offensive versatility the trio provides, Davis and company are permitted to camp out in the paint thanks to FIBA’s absence of a defensive three-second violation. The increased physical nature of the FIBA-governed international game allows the 6-foot-10, 250-plus pound big man to make any territory on the floor his own.
“It kind of takes me back to my college days where I was just dominating,” Davis said. “I could block shots, rebound, just be a presence. I think just having us commanding the paint and on the defensive end is going to help us out.”
Evidenced through the USA Basketball Showcase leading up to this summer’s Paris Games, Davis is proving to be the type of enforcer opposing teams must be aware of at all times on the floor. He racked up 3.0 blocks per game and sent back six shots against Serbia in Abu Dhabi.
