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It turns out New Orleans Pelicans fans haven’t taken too kindly to Anthony Davis’ desire to leave their team.
Returning to the lineup for the first time since Jan. 18, Davis was overwhelmingly booed by Pelicans fans at the Smoothie King Center prior to Friday’s game against the Minnesota Timberwolves:
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Loud boos for Anthony Davis during pregame intros https://t.co/Ozvbi6tTSc
The news wasn’t all bad for Davis, though. ESPN’s Michael C. Wright noted the six-time All-Star heard cheers when he put the ball in the basket:
“Talk about awkward. Every time Anthony Davis touches the ball, he’s booed. But when he’s pouring in those buckets like the two he’s scored in the first quarter, everybody cheers loudly; especially on his last make, a nasty step-back jumper. New Orleans’ pre-game hype video included Davis this time, though. And when he was announced in the starting lineup, there was a mixture of cheers and boos. Clearly, this is a somewhat divided or confused fan base here at the Smoothie King Center. It’s been a wild ride since news of Davis’ trade demands surfaced.”
Despite requesting a trade from the Pelicans last month, Davis will finish this season with the team after Thursday’s deadline passed without a deal materializing.
This is certainly an uncomfortable situation for Davis and the Pelicans to find themselves in. It’s going to make for an awkward two months of games, but both sides will have to work through it to salvage something from what’s been a disappointing 2018-19 campaign for New Orleans.
