No prank: Anthony Davis seems happy with the Wizards
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Anthony Davis interviews Wizards teammate Trae Young at media day. Photo: Mark Selig/Axios
Last week I asked readers which D.C. athlete, past or present, would make the best "Saturday Night Live" host.
- Alex Ovechkin, Gilbert Arenas and John Riggins were popular choices. Trinity Rodman won overall.
My pick? Anthony Davis.
- Seriously.
Why it matters: Davis is the Wizards' biggest star and biggest unknown. But we're finally getting to know the guy.
Case in point: At Wizards media day last week, I was interviewing point guard Trae Young when the 6-foot-10 Davis suddenly cut in.
- "Are you doing an interview right now?"
- Yeah.
- "I gotta do an interview right now."
Just like that, Davis hijacked my session and peppered Young with questions about pranks.
Turns out: Davis is a lifelong prankster.
- Growing up in Chicago, he terrorized his two sisters and other family members, he told me — hiding in closets and jumping out to scare them.
- Eventually, he graduated to "itching powder, fake spiders, fake snakes, fake mice and stuff like that."
Zoom out: This year, Davis hosted the TBS prank show "Foul Play with Anthony Davis," targeting celebrities and athletes with elaborate setups.
- In one episode, he teams up with LeBron James to prank Draymond Green, with actors repeatedly needling the famously combustible Warriors star.
State of play: After the Wizards traded for Davis last winter, fans wondered whether he even wanted to be in Washington.
- The 10-time All-Star never played after the trade while rehabbing a hand injury.
- He acknowledged in April that his initial reaction to the trade was basically: Washington?
- And he and the Wizards haven't agreed to a contract extension since he became eligible for one in August.
But at media day, Davis looked anything but disengaged.
- His 17-minute news conference showcased a thoughtful player and entertaining storyteller. Then he spent the rest of the afternoon causing mischief.
- He eventually let me resume with Young and, to be fair, stood for seven minutes of my questions afterward.
The bottom line: Davis has plenty of personality, and he's now showing it off with the Wizards.
- I don't expect him to follow Jalen Brunson onto the SNL stage. But he could be a big positive in the Wizards' locker room this year.
- So long as the itching powder stays home.
What's next: Davis' Wizards open their preseason schedule against Brunson's Knicks at Madison Square Garden on Thursday.