Lakers Star Anthony Davis Celebrates First Championship with Michoacán-Style Birria de Chivo in L.A.

[dropcap size=big]W[/dropcap]hat would be the first celebration meal back in L.A? If you were away for four of the most physically and mentally demanding months of your life? If you’re Anthony Davis, the answer is simple: birria de chivo.  

The first-time NBA champion feasted on Huetamo, Michoacán-style chile-and-spice simmered goat quesatacos by way of La Autentica Birrieria yesterday. The popular lonchera based in North Hollywood posted a photo on their Instagram account featuring the NBA All-Star smiling ear-to-ear alongside the truck’s owner, Jaime Arana, yesterday. 

“As soon as he landed, his chef told me that our birria was the first he wanted as soon as he touched ground in L.A.,” Arana tells L.A. Taco over the phone. 

The 27-year-old big man credited by many for being the reason the Lakers were able to glide past Miami Heat to their 17th title has been a loyal customer of La Autentica Birrieria since May, Arana shares. Davis reportedly loves La Autentica’s quesatacos de birria so much that after trying it the first time, he went back to buy an entire meal for his family on Mother’s Day. 

“It’s a pretty dope feeling that we have this opportunity to serve our birria de chivo to AD,” Arana continues, almost not believing his own words as he says them. “He is an amazing guy and humble like a regular person, high fiving us and everything,” Arana mentions that Davis also has gifted him a jersey. When asked how Davis arrived at preferring goat birria over beef birria, a hotly contested debate in L.A.’s cutthroat Taco Wars, Arana discloses that he is the one who selected to serve his goat version. “That’s our top seller, and I wanted him to try our shredded goat.” 

Sports analysts conclude that Davis is critical for the long-term success of the Lakers’ future. However, he does have the option to opt-out after this season. Though, some sports reporters like Shahan Ahmed for NBCLA have gone to Twitter to post about the chances of this being lower and lower, especially after getting a taste of L.A.’s Taco Life: “Oh AD eating real LA tacos? Yea, free agency is a wrap. This dude isn’t leaving LA.”