Big Baby is all grown up

Even for someone with his famously voracious appetite, the wait was hard for Glen “Big Baby” Davis to stomach.

It was June 2007, and Davis’ friends and family had packed the Baton Rouge home of Collis Temple Jr., the LSU basketball trailblazer and a father figure to Davis, to watch the NBA draft.

But the electricity eventually gave way to anxiety. The entire first round passed, and Davis’ name was not called. Being a first-round pick is more than a status symbol—only the top rookies drafted in the first round receive guaranteed NBA contracts.

“The house was full of people, and everyone was basically in shock—and Glen was crying because he was sure he was going to get drafted in the first round,” Temple recalls. “He tried to show that he was okay, but he was hurting … but it all turned out so wonderful for him.”

The wonderful part came five picks into the second round.

The Seattle SuperSonics selected Davis, instantly trading him to the Boston Celtics along with nine-time All-Star guard Ray Allen. The deal granted the Baton Rouge native a rare rookie opportunity to be a role player on a suddenly star-saturated team with championship possibilities.

A month after acquiring Allen, the Celtics traded for forward Kevin Garnett. In Allen, Garnett and incumbent Paul Pierce, Boston had assembled a true rarity—three future Hall of Fame players on the same team.

The new-look squad staged a remarkable year-to-year turnaround and won the NBA title last season, the 17th in the Celtics’ illustrious history.

Residence: A condo in Waltham, Mass., a Boston suburb where the Celtics’ practice facility is located.

First splurge as a pro: A bracelet for himself.

Biggest adjustment as a pro: “The NBA work ethic. You think you worked hard in college. You didn’t until you got to this level.”

He drives: A GMC Yukon.

Favorite new food: Clam chowder.

Favorite NBA city: “Boston, definitely.”

Least favorite NBA city: Sacramento.

What he misses in Baton Rouge: “The food, especially the crawfish étouffée at Walk-On’s.”

Davis wasn’t a regular starter, but he has a championship ring, and he contributed by averaging four points, three rebounds and 13 minutes per game. Davis was a key player at key times, and he filled in well for injured players—like the first time he started and scored 16 points and grabbed nine rebounds against Sacramento.

“Having that championship experience was a great feeling, because some players don’t ever get a chance to win championships,” the 23-year-old Davis says in the soft-spoken manner that endeared him to so many LSU fans. “Just to learn from those guys was a great experience, and it will probably help me the rest of my career.”

Now Davis, having reached the pinnacle of his profession in only his first season, has to remain hungry (metaphorically speaking) in his second year as a pro.

There is the financial component—Davis is in the final year of a two-year contract that pays him about $711,000 this season. He’s looking to increase his market value, although the cherubic big man seems more concerned about his niche.

“My role is the same as last year except a little bit more time on the floor,” Davis says. “I’ve expanded my game a little bit with the 15-footer, but aside from that I’m just doing what I’m supposed to be doing, being an energy player.”

That 15-foot jump shot is making Davis a more reliable offensive presence. During his three seasons at LSU, he was able to dominate with his 6-foot-9 frame, supple hands and uncanny agility around the basket. But the size and athleticism of NBA players prompted him to alter his approach.

“It was about knowing the limitations of my game and what I can do and cannot do,” Davis says. “And [Celtics head coach Doc Rivers] and my teammates felt that if I got that [15-foot shot] in my game it would help out tremendously, so I just worked on it all this summer. Just got a lot of repetitions, game-like situations, and made sure I could hit the jumper.”

Eschewing his hometown and all of its potential distractions, Davis spent the off-season in Boston, honing his jump shot at the Celtics’ practice facility and trying to avoid the sort of digestible temptations that have bedeviled him for years.

Davis, who led LSU to a Final Four as a sophomore while weighing well in excess of 300 pounds, is now listed at 289 pounds. He says proper nutrition has to be a priority for him.

“Just basically watch what you eat and exercise a lot. And just be healthy. You want to be in this game a long time,” he says.

Davis has tasted success at every level. He was a nationally decorated player at University High and the SEC Player of the Year while at LSU.

While the day he was drafted may have been a letdown, he realizes his brief time in Boston has been plenty uplifting.

“It’s a historical team,” he says. “There are a lot of great memories in terms of the Boston Celtics. It’s a privilege and an honor to be playing there, to be in the [TD Banknorth] Garden. I’m just blessed and fortunate to be on a team like this and have the chance that I have now.”

Adam Norris is a sports anchor for ABC affiliate WNGO-TV Channel 26 in New Orleans.

Click here to read more about Davis and his high school teammates.