LeBron James is one of the longest-tenured players in the NBA. James has been in the NBA for 19 years now and is still playing at an extremely high level so far. James’ age has been nothing but a number when it comes to his performances. But LeBron’s experience is invaluable, and younger players could really benefit from it.
One player who LeBron James seems to have taken under his wing is none other than the Lakers’ young undrafted rookie Austin Reaves. During the Lakers’ game against the Brooklyn Nets, LeBron James was seen whispering instructions to Reaves, who looked very confused by the instructions from James.
LeBron James himself took to Instagram to address their interaction caught on camera. He quoted Robert Downey Jr. as Iron Man from the movie ‘Spider-Man: Homecoming”, where he was mentoring Peter Parker, telling him that he should operate unlike Iron Man, and not do anything he would do, and definitely not anything he wouldn’t do.
“Don’t do anything I would do. And definitely don’t do anything I wouldn’t do. There’s a lil gray area in there and that’s where you operate.”
Clearly, James was acknowledging the jokes that fans had made when they were reacting to their interaction during the Lakers-Nets game. It was a funny post from LeBron James, who also showed some love to Austin Reaves through the post. Spider-Man and Iron Man have a close relationship in the MCU, and perhaps James is suggesting that he can have that close a relationship with Reaves.
Reaves has been a breath of fresh air for the Lakers. He has become a fan favorite for the Lakers, much like Alex Caruso became during his stint in LA. Much like Caruso, Reaves is an undrafted rookie that the Los Angeles Lakers took a chance on. And so far, that risk has paid off for the Lakers.
