National Basketball Association

Top 50 NBA players from last 50 years: Anthony Davis ranks No. 42

Published Apr. 25, 2022 3:52 p.m. ET

Editor's Note: As part of a new series for his podcast, "What’s Wright with Nick Wright," FOX Sports commentator Nick Wright is ranking the 50 best NBA players of the last 50 years. The countdown continues today with player No. 42, Anthony Davis.

Anthony Davis' career highlights:

Eight-time All-Star
Four-time first-team All-NBA
Two-time all-defensive first team, two-time second team
2013 All-Rookie team
Three-time blocks champion

Anthony Davis has probably done less than you expected but more than you think.

He’s made four All-NBA first teams. He’s also made just four All-NBA teams. He’s in the top 10 all-time in playoff scoring. He’s played in only 39 playoff games. He’s fourth all-time in player efficiency rating. He’s the lone player among the top nine to not win an MVP.

The two-way phenom is still in his 20s, having turned 29 about a month ago. Given his checkered injury history, it’s anyone’s guess how much more elite play is in him. What’s clear is that for the past decade, his best has been about as good as any of his peers.

"He doesn’t have the volume you would love to have," Wright said, "but the top-level production is so good."

Anthony Davis is No. 42 on Nick Wright's Top 50

Checking in at No. 42 on Nick Wright's list is four-time All-NBA First Team, four-time All-Defense, and NBA Champion Anthony Davis.

It’s why he was included on the NBA’s 75th Anniversary Team. Davis was once a perennial All-Star in New Orleans, where he developed an expansive offensive repertoire to match his defensive brilliance. That made him among the most coveted players in the league and an inevitable defector of the small-market Pelicans. After forcing a trade to the Lakers to team up with LeBron James, Davis validated all the hysteria with superstar production during L.A.'s 2020 championship run.

There were even points in the bubble, where the Lakers faced few challenges, in which Davis was superior. He averaged 28 points and 10 rebounds through the Finals, with signature moments in each round. He went for 43 points and nine boards to close out the Trail Blazers. He posted five double-doubles against the Rockets, including 34 and 10 in Game 2 as the Lakers evened the series. In the conference finals against the Nuggets, Davis drained a 3-pointer at the buzzer for a Game 2 victory and outplayed Nikola Jokic in the series.

Davis was then the best player on the court for the first two games of the Finals, which the Lakers won before splitting the next four games. The prevailing thought then was that James would gradually pass the torch to Davis as one of the top-five talents in the league while L.A. added to its ring count. Neither has manifested two years later, and Davis’ health is one of the primary reasons.

It fits right in with the rest of his polarizing bio.

Davis’ seven-year stint in New Orleans featured two playoff appearances and two top-five finishes in the MVP race. Often reluctant to play center, the 6-foot-10 gazelle boasts guard skills and a smooth shooting touch, but he’s connected on just 30.3% of his 3-point attempts. He’s never played more than 75 games in a season. Yet, his career averages of 23.8 points and 10.2 rebounds make him one of just one of 11 players to top 20 and 10 over the past 50 years.

"Anthony Davis’ top-line résumé is a clear, no-doubt guy. But then it gets a little hazy," Wright said. "The question is, is the résumé thick enough? If he had a bigger body of work, his top-level talent and top-level achievements … would have him higher than 42."