Baron Davis brings LA culture to NBA All-Star Weekend

When you mention Los Angeles basketball culture, it’s impossible not to mention it Baron Davis. The former NBA All-Star was front and center in the league’s midseason competition, and it was happening in his hometown.

A star at Crossroads High School and in college at UCLA, Davis is one of the best players to ever come out of the Los Angeles area. And the perfect ambassador for All-Star Weekend. With the NBA world going south this past weekend, there’s no one better than that Davis to represent what Los Angeles brings to the table as far as basketball is concerned.

“LA brings the lifestyle, the energy, basketball is numero uno here,” Davis told ClutchPoints in an exclusive interview. “We have historic UCLA, and we have other college basketball teams here. Great high schools, so a lot of our NBA talent has come from LA. The lifestyle and the energy, and celebrating the guys that come from LA, who have been All-Stars, who have had incredible careers, it’s a great time to honor them.”

During Davis’ senior year of high school, he was named the Gatorade Player of the Year as well as a McDonald’s All-American. After a fierce recruiting battle between multiple colleges, Davis ultimately chose his hometown school at UCLA. He won the Pac-10 Freshman of the Year award, and despite an injury during the NCAA Tournament that season, he returned rejuvenated and on track to be a lottery pick in the NBA Draft.

Of course, Davis was selected by the Charlotte Hornets with the 3rd overall pick in the 1999 NBA Draft. According to his in his third season in the league, he was an All-Star and franchise player of the Hornets. By the time he left the Hornets after five and a half seasons, he had another All-Star selection and was considered one of the best point guards in the NBA.

And Davis made sure to always show the LA influence in his game.

“I wanted to bring a style to the league that made people recognize that L.A. has a different style of basketball. More fun, more creative, but a really hard-nosed, dirty, defensive style of basketball,” Davis said. “And so I think that identity for me was something I had to develop while I was in the league to be a point guard playing against great NBA point guards.”

Baron Davis mentors the next generation of the NBA

As part of his participation during NBA All-Star Weekend, Baron Davis participated in the installation of AT&T at the Venice Beach basketball courts. The pop-up, alongside former NBA player and current Utah Jazz assistant coach Jason Terry, featured a 2-on-2 basketball tournament as well as a gaming station for fans to participate in the NBA 2K competition.

But aside from fan activities and performances, All-Star Weekend gives Davis a chance to catch up with his fellow members of the NBA fraternity, as well as make himself available to the next generation of NBA stars.

“Some of my heroes that I grew up with, watching them, guys that I modeled my game after, they took care of me. It’s an opportunity to see them, to pay tribute to them, but also to the next generation,” Davis said. “Staying connected to basketball has allowed me to truly be a fan and student of the game. I think when you have that mentality and approach, you can appreciate everyone for their specific art form.”

Davies was certainly someone who was valued for his form during his playing days. An electric rush hour with creative handles that could dazzle fans and a pass or shot, he really stepped into the spotlight after leading the Golden State Warriors to a historic first-round playoff sweep against the No. 1 Dallas Mavericks in 2007.

I was just reminded how bloody good Baron Davis was. Enjoy.
(🎥@ThrowbackHoops ).pic.twitter.com/3taua1HmE2

— Shadow League (@ShadovLeague) January 11, 2019

During that postseason, Davis averaged a playoff career-high 25.3 points, 4.5 rebounds, 6.5 assists and 2.9 steals while shooting 51.3 percent from the field and 37.3 percent from the 3-point line. Although the Warriors’ streak would end in a five-game Western Conference semifinal against the Utah Jazz, Davis had one of the best highlights of the postseason in that series with a thunderous dunk over Andrei Kirilenko.

Davis was a unique point guard in that few others had his combination of speed, strength and skill. His ability to make the incredible pass while pulling up from the 3-point line was unmatched at the time. And as for the player he most identifies with these days, look no further than his former team in the Hornets and LaMelo Ball.

“He’s having so much fun and his creation is off the charts. His passing ability is off the charts,” Davis said. “He’s starting to understand now, how to lead, how to be a great leader, but more importantly, how to be a closer. I think that’s what I’ve enjoyed most about his evolution this year. He’s got a chip on his shoulder and he’s playing like he really has something to prove.”

How the game has changed since the NBA days of Baron Davis

In some ways, Baron Davis was ahead of his time when he ran up and down NBA courts. With the game getting a little faster and more explosive offenses being featured on a nightly basis, he would fit right in with that.

During his 13-year NBA career, Davis averaged double figures in all but two seasons; his first year in 1999-2000 and his final year in 2011-12. He averaged just under five assists per game over those two years. From an entertainment standpoint, he had to be seen on TV, and he kind of saw how the game has changed in this day and age.

“I think the game has become more entertainment-friendly. When you look at explosive and dynamic scoring, that’s the model of today’s game. Score, score, score, a lot of great shots, a lot of great athletes. It’s kind of built because you don’t know who’s the most dominant until the playoffs form,” Davis said. “I think what we’re getting is a lot more parity in the league. I think that just leads to the ability for teams to get better and really challenge for the title.”

And for fun, Davis participated in the NBA dunk contest when he was on the verge of becoming an All-Star. Although he did not win the competition, he is best remembered for his blindfolded windmill dunk attempt that he failed to connect to.

Davis was an impressive dunker for his size throughout his career, winning the McDonald’s All-American Slam Dunk Contest in 1997. 2001 was the only year Davis participated in the event while in the NBA, and he has some thoughts on what it would take to make the contest more fun for fans. At this point, it’s less about the actual dunks and more about the presentation.

“It’s hard … it’s got to be fun. I think the more produced and the more theatrical it is, the better it will be,” Davis said. “But the days of running and just dunking and judging, it has to be a little more theatrics. Pre-production and things like that.”