Washington Wizards star Anthony Davis recently opened up on the podcast Numbers on the Board about his struggles during his time with the Los Angeles Lakers. He revealed that in order to take on the center role, he deliberately bulked up to match up against elite big men like Nikola Jokic and Joel Embiid. However, his weight shot up to 268 pounds (about 121.6 kg), making his body feel heavy and sluggish. Davis admitted that he asked the Lakers front office to bring in another big man to play alongside him, but that never materialized — and instead, he ended up being the one traded.

　　Davis said that because he knew he would be playing center and facing players like Embiid and Jokic, he started heavy weight training to be more physical. His weight had typically been around 250 to 255 pounds, but that season it climbed to about 265, and possibly 268. "I really didn't like that feeling. I was like, bro, I can't play like this. My body was just too heavy," Davis recounted.

　　He attempted to lose weight during the season, but with extended minutes at center against bigger opponents, it was difficult to balance weight management with on-court physicality. That led him to talk to the Lakers' management, asking them to sign another center so he could move back to his natural power forward position. "I went to them and said, 'Hey, I hope the team can get another big guy or something.' But in the end, it just didn't happen," Davis recalled.

　　According to reports, about two weeks before the 2025 trade deadline, Davis had asked the Lakers to bring in a center to relieve his burden in the paint. Instead, the Lakers traded him to the Dallas Mavericks in exchange for Luka Doncic.

　　Even after joining the Mavericks, Davis continued to struggle with weight issues. Reports said he reported to training camp last season at 268 pounds, 15 pounds heavier than the previous season. Davis had explained that he preferred to start the season heavier and then gradually lose weight as the season progressed, rather than coming in too light at the beginning.

　　But then Davis suffered a calf injury, and it was only after he gradually lost weight later in the season that he began to rediscover his familiar form on both ends of the floor.

　　Now in Washington, Davis is looking forward to playing with a different frontcourt configuration. "Now I have this opportunity. You will see that when I have another big man playing alongside me, it's going to be a completely different situation for me," he said.