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Anthony Davis is just 22 years old and has only spent three years in the NBA, but on July 9, he will sign the largest dollar contract in the league’s history. According to Black Enterprise, the $145 million, five-year contract will pay Davis around $29 million a year, starting with the 2016-17 season.

To put it into perspective, Kobe Bryant’s seven-year, $136.4 million contract rounded out at just under $19.5 million per year. His contemporaries, Carmelo Anthony and Christ Bosh, recently commanded salaries of $124.1 million and $118 million for five years, respectively.

What makes Davis so special?
According to ESPN, “Davis led the league last season in blocks per game averaging nearly three, while ranking fourth in scoring at over 24 points per game, and eighth in rebounding at over 10 per game — all while leading the Pelicans to their first playoff since 2011 [as the Hornets]. His Player Efficiency Rating of 30.8 was good for 11th all-time in terms of single-season PER, and the only players that have posted higher are Michael Jordan, Wilt Chamberlain, and Lebron James.”

Even those who don’t follow basketball know those names, and that puts Davis in some very elite company.
Since Davis is in the last year of his rookie contract, he will finish out his four-year, $23 million contract next season. That is a huge discount for the Pelicans, since, once the season is done, he will earn more than that each year until he turns 28.
The New Orleans Pelicans feel he is worth every cent.
Their new head coach, Alvin Gentry, was on the coaching staff of this year’s NBA champions, the Golden State Warriors.

“He’s got a chance to be Tim Duncan. He’s got a chance to be Kevin Garnett,” Gentry said of Davis. “He’s got a chance to be one of those special players, and I think when you have a foundation of a great player like that, then I think you got something special … I just think he’s one of those special players that comes along once every 25 or 30 years.”

Now, that’s high praise. And, what was Davis’ response?
He tweeted this to his fans, “NOLA, I am here to stay! Just getting started…#6MoreYears.”

Source: BOSS(Brothers On Sports)