Do you remember Anthony Davis' messy exit from New Orleans? The Pelicans definitely do.
A quick refresher: In the middle of the 2018-19 season, Davis' agent, Rich Paul, told ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski that his client wanted out of New Orleans and didn't plan to sign a supermax extension. Davis remained on the roster through the 2019 trade deadline, creating an awkward tension that hung over the franchise for the rest of the campaign. Davis was eventually traded to the Lakers, winning a championship inside the Orlando "bubble" in his first season alongside LeBron James.
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The most absurd point of the ugly situation came when Davis wore a "That's All Folks" shirt to the Pels' final home game, then later claimed he doesn't choose his own clothes.
Anthony Davis just showed up to the Smoothie King Center in a “That’s all Folks!” t-shirt.
— Andrew Lopez (@_Andrew_Lopez) April 9, 2019
This is gonna be a fun night, guys. pic.twitter.com/vvJCsc4IIV
Nearly three years after Davis donned a shirt with that infamous phrase, the Pelicans threw it right back at him.
A loss to the Suns on Tuesday night officially eliminated the Lakers from NBA Play-In Tournament contention. The Pelicans and Spurs locked up the last two spots in the Western Conference Play-In Tournament, giving New Orleans the opportunity to troll Davis.
That's All Folks!
— New Orleans Pelicans (@PelicansNBA) April 6, 2022
After tonight’s results,
our Play-In Match Up is set
we will face:
👀 @Spurs pic.twitter.com/uqhrjJj4Hc
San Antonio played its part in the pettiness by responding with the other side of the popular Diddy meme.
https://t.co/fPOoWsqzRY pic.twitter.com/zayNbjalM7
— San Antonio Spurs (@spurs) April 6, 2022
Los Angeles, meanwhile, will head into an offseason of uncertainty after completing one of the most disappointing seasons in franchise history. Davis acknowledged the Lakers fell far short of their preseason expectations and pointed to health issues as the primary reason for the lack of success.
MORE: Lakers eliminated from playoffs: Free agents, contracts, draft picks entering 2022 offseason
"Our goal was to win a championship," Davis said. "I feel like we had the pieces, but injuries got in the way of that. And that was the difference in our season. I think even though we lost games where all of us was on the floor — me, [James], [Russell Westbrook] — I think we're three great players, but we would have figured it out if we logged more minutes together.
"But we weren't able to do that, which makes it tough to be able to compete for a championship when your three best players haven't logged enough minutes together."
The Lakers will finish the regular season with games against the Warriors, Thunder and Nuggets. Once the final buzzer sounds in Denver, well, you know the rest.
