Former All-Star point guard Baron Davis grew up in South Central LA and went to UCLA.

After a decade of playing away from home, he joined the Clippers.

But his homecoming turned out to be stressful.

Davis explained to Bootleg Kev that when he played pro ball the bangers ruled LA, and if you were a certain type of high-profile celeb, he was at their mercy.

"I'm scared to die .. they shoot at athletes here back in the day.  Remember, Jalen Rose got shot at.  Why you shooting at Jalen Rose?  And he was on Sunset.  That era was a lot of jacking.  It was pressure, extorting.  [NBA players were getting extored]  all day.  NBA players, rappers, musicians.  Anybody who came to LA, it was just not a good place to be.  If you got found ... you at they mercy ... that was the tap in era," Davis remembered.

The 45-year-old added that he was able to help a couple of rappers who got in trouble in LA but wouldn't reveal their names.