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. He always pushed me. He always talked about Kobe, Kobe, Kobe. He always wanted to make me go out there and – I don’t want to say be better – but do some of the same things (Kobe) did.”
In a permanent acknowledgement of the role Eberhardt played in his life, this summer Davis got a tattoo on his right arm featuring a portrait of his smiling grandfather, the same arm that the 22-year-old has used to become one of the NBA’s most prolific scorers. Above and below Eberhardt’s image, it reads “REST UP Champ.” The phrase is a message from Davis to his grandfather to rest in peace, while also alluding to Eberhardt’s practice of commonly calling Davis “Champ.”
“We used to call each other ‘Champ,’ ” Davis explained of the wording. “So it’s me calling him ‘Champ.’ ”
Davis had planned to get a tattoo honoring his grandfather for several years, but after several hectic summers filled with USA Basketball and other obligations, Davis decided to add the ink this offseason.
“I always said I wanted to get a tattoo of my grandfather when I was in high school,” Davis said. “But when he passed, it just solidified that I was going to do it. I didn’t want to put anything on my body that’s whatever, like a TV or something (meaningless). I wanted it to be meaningful. I was scared at first when I was younger, but I thought one day I’d get one. When he passed, I said, ‘I’m definitely doing it.’ I just never had time to. I’ve had so much stuff: the Olympics, college, coming here to New Orleans, so much going on. This was the first summer where I had really nothing (major) to do.”
Davis’ other new tattoo – on the underside of his right bicep – is also a nod to his roots. The tat reads “Chicago” in script and “1993,” referencing his birth year.
“I got it because I love my city and where I’m from,” Davis explained, “knowing that I wouldn’t be where I am without the city of Chicago.”
Davis feels the same way about his granddad. Davis thinks of Eberhardt often, beaming when he discusses his unique personality. Eberhardt was described in his obit as “a very kind and gentle spirit… the kind of man that spoke to and helped everyone, even if it was just a simple hello or carrying a neighbor’s bags. Lamont will be truly missed by his neighbors. He would daily sit on his porch with a smile on his face and love in his heart.”
“Going to his house was somewhere I could go to have fun and just chill,” Davis said. “He was always friendly, and everybody loved my granddad. I remember some of his lingo, things he’d say that only our family would get or understand – some old-school sayings. It was always good for me, to have somebody really close to you, who loved you, who always told you to get better.”
Five years after Eberhardt’s passing, his grandson is now a world-famous basketball player who’s become a perennial All-Star and whose NBA team will make a total of 13 appearances on the national airwaves of TNT and ESPN during the 2015-16 regular season. The incalculable number of basketball fans who’ll see the tattoo of his grandfather and learn the story of Lamont Eberhardt is not lost on Davis.
“It’s cool,” Davis said of the widespread exposure. “Not only does he mean so much to me, he means a lot to my family. He was a big part of our family and everybody loved him so much. So for the world I guess, to see and know about him, it means a lot to our family. So that people can see and appreciate how much he meant to us.”