A wide smile crosses Anthony Davis’ face when he discusses his memories of Lamont Eberhardt, one of the men who helped shape Davis as a youngster growing up on the South Side of Chicago. Eberhardt, who passed away in 2010 in his early 60s, was Davis’ maternal grandfather, but also a mentor who saw the potential of a boy who’d eventually become a first-team All-NBA selection in 2014-15.
“He meant a lot to me,” Davis said of the avid Kobe Bryant fan. “I looked up to him. Every day I would go to his house and we would just talk basketball.