Fourth-Place Medal

Anthony Davis forgot his jersey, couldn’t play in first half vs. Nigeria

By Eric Freeman | Fourth-Place Medal – Fri 3 Aug, 2012

Anthony Davis hangs out, jersey-less, during Team USA warmups (Jesse D. Garrabrant/ Getty).

Team USA's record-breaking 156-73 win over Nigeria (no, that's not a misprint) on Thursday featured many notable performances, including a torrent of 3-pointers and the sort of instantaneous blowout we tend to associate with the 1992 Dream Team. It was also the kind of game in which pretty much everyone got in on the fun, because the score was always absurd enough that each player could get his fair share of playing time.

In theory, that would have been particularly good news for Anthony Davis, the most recent top pick in the NBA draft and clearly the runt (relatively speaking, of course) of this year's men's basketball litter. Davis has found it hard to grab playing time among the established stars of Team USA, and any run he gets is an opportunity to show the world that he's the odds-on favorite to win Rookie of the Year in the NBA this season.

[ Related: U.S. bombs from downtown to demolish Nigeria in record fashion ]

So, as Team USA jumped out to a ridiculous 49-25 lead after one quarter, it looked as if Davis would get his time to shine. Except he didn't play until the second half, because, as reported by Craig Sager during the NBC Sports Network broadcast, Davis somehow forgot to bring his jersey. At one point, he even got out of his seat to check into the game before being sent back by head coach Mike Krzyzewski. There's as yet no indication that an older teammate hid it, or that Russell Westbrook cut up the fabric as part of some fierce fashion project.

Davis eventually recovered his jersey and was able to play in the second half, which he started off with an alley-oop from teammate Carmelo Anthony. (If you haven't noticed, Davis has had plenty of those in his limited playing time this tournament.) With the game in hand, Coach K also gave Davis plenty of minutes — he played 15 of the second half's 20 and finished with nine points on 4-of-4 shooting and six rebounds.

If Team USA is able to open up big leads against Lithuania and Argentina in their two remaining pool-play games, we can expect to see more of Davis. Next time, hopefully he remembers his uni for the first half, too.

Related Olympics coverage on Yahoo! Sports:

More Olympics coverage on Yahoo! Sports:
• Coach K irked by accusations of running up score
• Phelps, Lochte less than perfect but secure place in history
• Don't be fooled by her smile: Douglas is a fierce competitor

Related Videos

Most Popular »

  • A T20 match both teams fiercely fought to lose
    A T20 match both teams fiercely fought to lose

    New Delhi, May 23 -- Fixing is so rife in the domestic T20 league that players on opposing sides in one match were on different bookies' payrolls, a high-level police source said on Wednesday. This led to a situation that would have been funny if it hadn't been so scandalous: batsmen on each side had cut deals with bookies to lose the game. The side batting first notched up a meagre total that it fully expected would ensure defeat. But the team batting second outdid their rivals by makingeven

  • Saudi cleric says using air-conditioners by women 'immoral'

    Washington, May 22 (ANI): A self-proclaimed Saudi cleric said that if women turn on air-conditioners at home in their husband's absence could lead to moral depravities.

  • Rajeev Shukla defends BCCI chief

    New Delhi, May 23 (IANS) IPL chairman and union minister Rajeev Shukla Thursday came out in defence of BCCI president N. Srinivasan, saying there is no need for him to step down.

  • India Cements stock plunges

    Mumbai, May 23 -- The news around spot-fixing allegations in the sixth season of the T20 League has left a wave of cold breath on the stocks of India Cements.Analysts say the company is caught in the midst of a double jeopardy of poor show of its March-quarter results announced on Monday and the possible links to the match fixing in the T20.Since Monday, after the news on match fixing surfaced and the company announced its quarter results, the Indian Cements stocks have tanked 17% at the Bombay

  • Dravid hints at retirement from domestic T20

    New Delhi, May 23 (IANS) Rajasthan Royals skipper Rahul Dravid hinted at retiring from the Indian Premier League (IPL) after this season.

  • Samsung Galaxy Tab 3's pictures, specification leaked
    Samsung Galaxy Tab 3's pictures, specification leaked

    The Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 has an 8 inch display with 1280 x 800 pixel resolution.

  • I won't be soft like my mother, says Rahul

    India, May 24 -- Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi sent out an unusually blunt message to his party colleagues on Thursday, promising to be tougher than his mother in dealing with factionalism and indiscipline."I will not be soft like my mother. I will stringently deal with factionalism," Gandhi told the state Congress leaders, party sources told HT.Meeting Congress MPs, MLAs, councillors and party functionaries from Delhi at the state Congress office, Gandhi said he would tackle

More »

Yahoo! Sports Authors

Yahoo! Sports Blogs

Olympic, Olympiad, the Olympic rings, Faster Higher Stronger, Citius Altius Fortius and related marks are owned by the International Olympics Committee, the London Organizing Committee of the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games, or their related entities. This site is neither endorsed by nor affiliated with any of these entities.