The NBA star’s unexpected hobby left his agent completely speechless during 2 massive contract calls
The image of an NBA star worth hundreds of millions of dollars sitting quietly at home, absorbed in snapping plastic bricks together, is not one that comes to mind easily. Yet for Anthony Davis, that is exactly what has been happening — and apparently, it has been happening even during some of the most financially significant moments of his career.
The Washington Wizards power forward made a candid admission on April 28 during an appearance on TODAY’s “Glass Half Full” with host Craig Melvin, revealing that his passion for building Legos caused him to miss his agent’s phone calls on 2 separate occasions — both times while his agent was attempting to reach him with news of a record-breaking contract extension. The admission drew a visibly astonished reaction from Melvin, who noted that Davis is far more layered as a person than most people give him credit for.
A hobby that stopped 2 massive deals in their tracks
Davis recalled that on each of those 2 occasions, his agent was left waiting at the other end of an unanswered phone while his client was focused entirely on the task of building.
- In 2023, when Davis was still with the Los Angeles Lakers, his agent was calling to deliver the news that he had just signed a three-year, $186 million maximum contract extension — the richest annual extension in NBA history at the time. Davis was unavailable. He was building Legos.
- In 2020, when Davis re-signed with the Lakers on a five-year, $190 million contract, his agent called with the life-changing news and found Davis was once again nowhere near his phone for the same reason. His agent reportedly pointed out, with some exasperation, that he had just secured Davis the highest-paid extension in league history — and still could not get him on the line.
More than just a casual pastime
What makes the story resonate is that Davis was not being careless or dismissive about the calls. He was simply doing the one thing that brings him genuine, uncomplicated joy. During the TODAY appearance, he described having an entire Lego collection and spoke about the hobby with an earnest enthusiasm that made clear this is not something he does occasionally. He builds seriously and intentionally.
Davis had spoken about the hobby publicly before the TODAY appearance. In a 2024 podcast appearance, he described Lego building as his peace — a state he reaches by putting on music and losing himself entirely in the process of construction. For someone who has lived so much of his life in front of cameras, crowds, and the relentless noise of professional basketball, the appeal of something so quiet and deliberate makes complete sense.
A career spent in constant motion
Davis has been one of the most widely traveled players in the modern NBA. Selected first overall in the 2012 draft by the New Orleans Hornets — later renamed the Pelicans — he signed a five-year, $145 million extension with that franchise in 2015. A blockbuster 2019 trade brought him to the Lakers, where he helped the team capture the NBA championship in 2020.
Injuries complicated several seasons after that title run. In 2025, Davis became a central figure in one of the most discussed trades in recent memory, moving to the Dallas Mavericks as part of the deal that sent Luka Dončić to Los Angeles. A second trade followed in February 2026, this time to the Washington Wizards.
Through franchise changes, injuries, and three contracts worth a combined $521 million, one constant has apparently remained — the Lego collection keeps growing. For a player whose professional life has rarely slowed down, the thing that grounds him most requires nothing more than patience, quiet, and the satisfaction of building something entirely his own.
Source: TODAY (reporting by Drew Weisholtz)