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Is Anthony Davis' family life the secret to his on-court dominance?

As an NBA superstar, the Brow has all the public attention. However, as a family man, the fans barely know about Anthony Davis’ personal life. Especially after February 2023, the star power forward deactivated his social media. So, in an attempt to bring the Laker’s personal sphere closer to the hoops community, we have put in our best efforts.

It’s almost impossible for any athlete to escape public attention while playing for a high-profile team in LA. Notably, the media has irreversibly dived into LeBron James and his family’s life, whether the legend likes it or not. While there’s more positive publicity for the James family for most of the year, they also face blatant hate at times without any censor. For instance, the superstar’s eldest son, Bronny, persistently faced media scrutiny with nepotism arguments repeatedly pushed down his throat.

However, on the other hand, Anthony Davis and his family have cracked the code to eliminate the media attention fully. Apart from a few public appearances on red carpets and interview snippets, most are unaware of Anthony Davis’ wife and three kids.

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Anthony Davis’ “greatest luxury in life” is not the basketball, if you thought so

Anthony Davis married Marlen Polanco in September 2021 in a celebrity-filled spectacle. Before their wedding, the couple seemed to have dated each other for at least five years. The couple welcomed their first daughter, Nala, in November 2017. Until his wedding, AD hadn’t spoken about his personal life on camera until he opened his heart out in an interview for a magazine in 2019.

USA Today via Reuters

When the Lakers bypassed a blockbuster deal to bring in a disgruntled Davis from the New Orleans Pelicans, AD made a heartening declaration to Haute Living. Speaking about his family, he said, “The greatest luxury in life is family. I think no matter what you go through, your family is always going to be there.” 

AD further added, “That’s why I’m big on family. No matter what I do or what I have, I know my family’s not going to change; they’re always going to be there for me. Even when we fuss and fight, I know I can always count on them.” 

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Is Anthony Davis' family life the secret to his on-court dominance?

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Soon after the NBA Champ made a heartwarming statement about the importance of family in his life, he showed a glimpse of his wife, Marlen Polanco Davis.

Who is Marlen Polanco Davis?

While there isn’t clarity on the origin of their relationship, Davis and Marlen certainly dated, at least since 2017. It’s close to impossible when it comes to knowing more about her. Several news outlets, including Heavy, stated that Mrs. Davis has Dominican roots but was born in New Orleans. She has stayed away from the public eye and Marlen doesn’t have a public social media account. The hoops community had the first official glimpse of her in 2020.

After making his move to LA, Anthony Davis walked the Oscar’s after-party red carpet with his better half in 2020. A year later, the couple got married in a star-studded event at The Beverly Hills Hotel. The guest list of the party included LeBron James, Russell Westbrook, Adele, Rich Paul, and many more. On an already glamorous occasion, Anthony Davis amped up the mood when he snatched the mic and sang “Never Make a Promise” by Dru Hill to impress his newlywed.

And the year 2020 couldn’t have gotten any better for the superstar, as he won his first ring. Following the Lakers’ 2020 championship in the bubble, Marlen and her daughter Nala shared a video message to the superstar. She said, “Nala and I are extremely happy and proud to present you tonight with your first ring. We are so proud of you… We love you.”

Everything available on Anthony Davis’ lovely family, which we all know barely about

Nala is the eldest daughter that AD and Marlen gave birth to in 2017. Apart from that, the couple has two sons. Unfortunately, there isn’t any clarity on their sons’ names and other details. We don’t even know their names! However, in Nala’s case, she has come in front of cameras a few times. In May 2021, AD took his daughter to a post-game interview. And, she also walked the red carpet with her dad for the 2021 movie Space Jam: A New Legacy. Interestingly, Davis even lent his voice to the character, The Brow. 

In the same year, in an interview with Ros Gold-Onwude, Anthony Davis revealed the birth of his second child. The big man simply added, “A son on the way.” Judging by the time of the statement, the first son would’ve come to this world ahead of their star-studded wedding event in 2021.

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In 2022, the couple welcomed their third child. In an interview with Spectrum News, AD added, “Adding another to the family… A girl and two boys now, so I got a team. I’m outnumbered now. We’re outnumbered now. Amazing, blessed kids are a blessing, so I’m happy to have three of them.” 

The only clue that Marlen has given the fanbase about her kids’ names is from her private unverified Instagram account’s bio. “NAD ❤️ JAD ❤️ KAD.” This does seem like the initials of the younger ones.

At the age of 31, Anthony Davis still has a lot of basketball left in his career. And in due course, fans could get more glimpses of his family and, more importantly, a few more rings with King James.

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Before leaving, do watch the Dual Threat Show hosted by BG12 where Bulldogs’ Asia Avinger details her experience with Kobe Bryant, her WNBA ROTY picks, and more in the video below.