Earlier this year, a wild rumor started doing the rounds of Los Angeles Lakers star Austin Reaves dating pop star Taylor Swift. They were soon dismissed as being fake, though, and Reaves has now revealed his initial reaction to the rumor.
“My first initial reaction was like, I was back home in Arkansas, I was playing cards with my friends,” Reaves said. “And one of my friends sent it to me and I was just like, ‘Are you serious?'”
Reaves says he tries his best to stay out of the media spotlight, but it continues to prove to be impossible.
“That goes back to Lou’s (Williams) question about being a Laker,” Reaves stated. “Anytime something like this happens, they try to attach names to people just because you’re a Laker. As much as I try to stay out of the media, I was just like, ‘Yeah, here’s another one.'”
"There were some stories last year about you and Taylor Swift, before my boy [Travis Kelce] swooped it up." @ChandlerParsons
"I was just like are you serious?…They try to attach names to people just because you're a Laker."
Austin Reaves address the rumors that he was dating… pic.twitter.com/AUF3bY23MV
— Run It Back (@RunItBackFDTV) December 11, 2023
That’s certainly true. If Reaves was playing for a team other than the Lakers, I doubt his name would have popped up. You get a lot of fame and endorsements when you play well for the Lakers, but at the same time, you’ll also find your name thrown around in these rumors.
Reaves also confirmed that he isn’t single. It has been reported that he’s been dating fellow Arkansas native Jenna Barber since 2014. Barber has been to multiple Lakers games and their relationship seems to be as strong as ever. Swift, meanwhile, is now in a much-publicized relationship with NFL star Travis Kelce.
How Did The Rumor Even Start?
It is very easy for rumors to spread like wildfire in social media these days, but how exactly did this even start? Well, it turns out a Los Angeles Clippers employee used a burner account to start the false rumor that Reaves is dating Swift.
His name is Zain Fahimullah and he is a social media design associate for the Clippers. Fahimullah is actually a Lakers fan and he had put out a post on X in June about Reaves and Swift being spotted together at a bar in Arkansas.
He felt it was quite funny to link the two, considering Reaves was this small-town kid while Swift was a global star. Fahimullah never imagined in his wildest dreams that it would catch fire the way it did. At least it wasn’t a malicious rumor of some sort, but he regretted the fact that Reaves had to answer so many questions because of it.
Austin Reaves’ Star Continues To Rise
Reaves had a bit of a slow start to the 2023-24 season but he has now found his footing and is balling for the Lakers. The 25-year-old played his part in helping the team get to the In-Season Tournament final, where they beat the Indiana Pacers 123-109 to win the NBA Cup.
Anthony Davis stole all the headlines for his dominant display in that game, but Reaves had a fine showing of his own. He was the second-leading scorer for the Lakers with 28 points to go with 2 rebounds and 3 assists. Reaves was an efficient 9-15 from the field and went 10-12 from the free throw line.
He put in that performance despite being under the weather, which led to LeBron James hilariously sparking a debate on whether Reaves had a better flu game than Michael Jordan. He certainly did not, but it was a very impressive showing nonetheless.
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