Anthony Davis turned down ‘Dancing with the Stars’ because ‘I don’t want to embarrass myself’
It’s been a heck of a year for Anthony Davis, the former University of Kentucky standout and No. 1 pick in the 2012 NBA draft. After being anointed an MVP in waiting by then-reigning NBA Most Valuable Player Kevin Durant last summer, Davis anchored Team USA’s defense en route to FIBA World Cup gold, had arguably the most productive season by a 21-year-old in NBA history, was voted a starter on the Western Conference All-Star team by NBA fans, finished fifth in MVP balloting, led the New Orleans Pelicans to the franchise’s first playoff berth since Chris Paul left Louisiana, and inked a contract extension that could pay him as much as $144 million to continue to lead New Orleans’ basketball renaissance over the next five years.
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The contract confirmed what his play pointed out and his stats signified: Anthony Davis is a big, bright, shining star. That doesn’t mean, however, that he’s prepared to dance like one.
The ever-present TMZ caught up with Davis at the Viceroy Hotel in Anguilla, where the 6-foot-10 phenom was staying while hosting the Anguilla Youth Sports Foundation Basketball Camp ahead of next month’s USA Basketball minicamp in Las Vegas. TMZ’s intrepid reporter asked Davis and Sacramento Kings guard Ben McLemore for their takes on Donald Trump, Magic Johnson, “Celebrity Apprentice” and money, before turning attention to the prospect of appearing on reality television themselves, citing examples of other athletes appearing on programs like “Dancing with the Stars,” starting at the 1:13 mark of the video below:
“I’ve seen a couple of players on ‘Dancing with the Stars,’ or just athletes, not even NBA players,” Davis said. “I actually got asked to do it, but I can’t dance, so I don’t want to embarrass myself … No, I can’t dance. I would never want to do nothing to embarrass myself. But sometimes, I’ll do something just to have fun.”
(“I’d love to do it,” piped in McLemore. “I got the moves.” So, y’know, get at him, ABC.)
On one hand, we can certainly understand Davis not wanting to expose himself to the prospect of embarrassment on national television on a weekly basis. He’s spent the last few years slowly and smartly building his brand among non-NBA-obsessives; it’d be a shame to watch all that work go up in smoke because America’s prime-time voting bloc found your besequined attempt at a rumba positively appalling.
On the other, though, methinks The Brow doth protest too much when it comes to getting his groove on:
Nobody’s ever questioned how well Davis could move for a big man, but if he needed a refresher course on how to hit that Whip or that Nae-Nae, he could always turn to former Pelicans teammate Jimmer Fredette:
Or, better yet, A.D. could just fly this fan wearing his jersey out to the “DWTS” taping and hope everybody’s too enraptured by the youngster’s stylings to notice the size difference:
Or, y’know, just be yourself. You’ve already succeeded at everything thrown in your path, Anthony Davis. We firmly believe you can, at the very least, do no more damage to the way people view NBA personnel on “DWTS” than Mark Cuban, Clyde Drexler, Metta World Peace and Rick Fox. Fear not, A.D. Let the rhythm take you over. Bailamos.
Hat-tip to Dime.
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Dan Devine is an editor for Ball Don’t Lie on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter!
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