When most people heard that Baron Davis had signed a contract with the Delaware 87ers, the D-League affiliate for the 76ers, just one question came to their minds: Why? BD is 36 now and hasn’t played in the NBA since 2012, so why in the world would he want to try and make a comeback now?

In a new New York Times piece, which opens with him trying to wrap his mind around the fact that D-League teams have to catch connecting flights when they travel, BD actually provides a very reasonable explanation for why he is trying to make a comeback. According to him, he doesn’t want the last image that people have of him to be him getting carried off the court at Madison Square Garden on a stretcher after suffering a devastating knee injury during the 2012 NBA Playoffs.

“In the back of my mind, I always thought about how I went out, being carted off of the Garden on that stretcher,” he told the NYT. “So eventually, it was just like: ‘Man, I have to say my peace. I have to go and push myself.’ And that’s what led me here. I’m a believer in starting from the bottom.’”

Davis admits that he thought about starting in a place like Israel, Finland, or China where he wouldn’t receive any criticism from skeptical NBA fans. But he ultimately decided on the D-League, since it will probably provide him with the best chance for making a return to the NBA. So Delaware it is.

“Delaware is not like Hollywood,” Davis said. “But Delaware is cool. All you really need is a gym and a couple good places to eat and a movie theater.”

And hey, if Elton Brand can play in the NBA in 2016, why not Baron Davis? He’s currently dealing with a “tweak” that he sustained in the 87ers’ game against the Bakersfield Jam on Friday, but he’s not expecting it to keep him out for long. He's also been putting up some pretty decent numbers on the court so far, so it’ll be interesting to see if any NBA team out there actually takes a chance on him.


[via New York Times]