Anthony Davis

American basketball player who dominated college basketball at Kentucky before becoming NBA superstar, winning championship and multiple awards in single season

Anthony Marshon Davis Jr. was born in Chicago, Illinois in 1993. He attended the University of Kentucky under coach John Calipari and won the national championship in his only college season in 2012. He was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player and won the Naismith Award as national player of the year — the first freshman to win the award since Kevin Durant in 2007. He was the SEC Defensive Player of the Year and the SEC Freshman of the Year. He averaged 14.2 points, 10.4 rebounds and 4.7 blocks per game. His shot-blocking ability — in a system built around his defensive presence — was the most dominant single-season defensive performance in college basketball in years. New Orleans Pelicans selected him first overall in the 2012 NBA Draft. His Kentucky season — one championship, one national player of the year award, one MOP award — is the most comprehensively decorated single season in Kentucky basketball history since the Adolph Rupp championships of the 1940s and 50s. His professional career, which included winning the NBA championship with the Lakers in 2020, fulfilled the enormous expectations his Kentucky year created.

Davis combined exceptional shot-blocking ability with surprising mobility for his size, making him a dominant defensive presence in the paint. His length and timing allowed him to alter shots and protect the rim at an elite level. Offensively, he showed versatility with mid-range shooting ability and solid post moves for a freshman.

Davis helped establish the modern template for the dominant one-and-done college basketball player, showing how elite freshmen could immediately impact championship-level teams.

• National Championship (2012)
• Tournament MOP (2012)
• Naismith Award (2012)
• SEC Defensive Player of Year