LeBron James – writing books about the man’s feats will not be enough. Austin Reaves will agree with this. Growing up watching him dominate every court he stepped into, Reaves was always in awe of James. And when he got the chance to be a part of the elite squad, Reaves did not hesitate. Even though he had no guarantee that he would be a Laker officially. We all know what happened after. Reaves’ idol was impressed with his games and lobbied for him with the front office. But they did not need much push.
The Lakers were against a newly improved Clippers team. With Kawhi Leonard and Paul George in attendance and the Lakers’ five significant pieces out due to injury, James and Reaves drove the game to a brilliant finish with just 2:12 left. And it just happens to be what the doctor ordered for Austin Reaves.
In a recent X post by Rachel Nichols, Reaves’ love for James and his skills is clear as day. He says that growing up, “watching LeBron’s monster dunks off alley oops, it means a lot … to be a part of one.”
Having watched LeBron James’ monstrous dunks on TV, it was a stunning moment for the young guard to watch Bron slamming an alley-oop dunk right in front of him. Especially, when it was Reaves who passed the stolen ball from Leonard to James. A die-hard Kobe Bryant fan, Reaves has made it clear that he believes LeBron to be the greatest player.
King James is also quite fond of the 25-year-old guard. Since watching him play in the FIBA World Cup 2023, the older player has taken Reaves under his wing. It won’t be long before Austin will be called upon to take the mantle of Lebron.
“I was gonna find a way to get on the court”: Reaves finally finds his place on the court
The story of a small-town boy getting on the radar of the Lakers got wide popularity. Dreams do come true. But for Austin Reaves, this wasn’t much of an impressive feat. Embraced wholeheartedly by the LA family the moment he stepped foot on the court, Austin always believed in himself. With good reason.
A crafty player with a high IQ, Reaves is effective on both sides of the court. When the Lakers offered him a standard NBA contract, Reaves repaid that faith with a 146-141 overtime win over the Nuggets in 2022 of LA’s season finale. It was also his first triple-double.
Since then, he has constantly improved his game. Talking to Russo Writes during his Team USA stint, Reaves says, “I don’t know if I’d say impressed with myself. Because I kind of always felt like it was possible for me … I knew if I got an opportunity … I was gonna find a way to get on the court. So, for me, it was kind of believable for me but a lot of everybody else probably was sitting there wondering how it happened.”
All those who are still wondering, hopefully, got the answer they need with Reaves’ performance today. At the very least, that is. With LeBron’s retirement looming overhead and Davis’ presence on the court glitchy, the Lakers might have to rely on Austin Reaves to take them forward in the near future.
