Los Angeles Lakers star Austin Reaves has gone from undrafted rookie to unlikely hero in just a few years. In a rise that nobody saw coming, the 6’5″ guard out of Wichita State has cemented himself as one of the franchise’s cornerstone players, and he still remembers the moment when all of his hard work finally paid off. In a recent exclusive interview for his SLAM magazine debut, Reaves shared his unique perspective on life, basketball, and life on the Lakers.
“It was definitely not easy to say no to an opportunity to hear your name called on draft night, but I trusted the work my agents put in,” said Reaves, when asked about destiny. “I trusted the analytics behind how they thought it would go in certain situations. And we knew here I would have an opportunity—with the group that they had at the time—to get my foot in the door and sign that regular contract and get off the two-way contract. I went to Bron’s mini-camp right before training camp. I played really well, and then got the call on, I think it was that Sunday. I think Monday was Media Day, so I got back from that trip, and Rob [Pelinka] called my agent and offered the 14th spot on the roster. So, I fully signed that as fast as I could and made it a reality.”
Reaves joined a pre-established Lakers team in 2021, which was built around LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and Russell Westbrook. On a team with those veterans, expectations were sky-high, and Reaves recalls feeling some nerves when he attended that first Lakers minicamp.
“At first, I was super nervous. I remember I was the first one in the gym the morning of the practice. Everybody started filing in, and it was Bron, Russ [Westbrook], Melo [Anthony], AD [Anthony Davis], Dwight [Howard]. And I’m sitting there thinking, ‘What the hell is going on?’ So, I was definitely nervous at first. And then once we got to running up and down, I felt more at home and [it] just became [about] playing basketball. But there was one play in particular, we drove down, went past [Rajon] Rondo and then threw a no-look pass to Bron and he dunked it. And after that, it felt like the weight of the world was off my shoulders, and it was just time to play basketball.”
Reaves went from averaging 7.3 points per game in his rookie season (along with 3.2 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 0.5 steals, and 0.3 blocks per game on 45.9% shooting from the field and 31.7% shooting from three) to a whopping 25.7 points, 5.1 rebounds, 6.0 assists, 1.0 steals, and 0.2 blocks per game on 50.8% shooting from the field and 36.3% shooting from three in the 2025-26 campaign (just recently coming back from injury).
Still, looking ahead, Reaves says there’s only one mission at the forefront of his mind: winning a title. That feat has been elusive so far, but there’s still plenty of time for him to cement his place in Lakers history.
“Winning a championship,” Reaves said on his unachieved goals. “That’s been the one thing I wanted to do since becoming a Laker. You know, I grew up a Lakers fan [and] a Kobe fan, and watched all those Finals runs. Just to be able to put this jersey on and have an opportunity to help this organization try to compete for a championship is the main thing. I believe all individual success comes from team success. So, therefore, if you’re winning at the highest level, then all that individual stuff is going to come.”
Finally, Reaves spoke on his proudest NBA accomplishment to date. Rather than a personal achievement or accolade, he cited being able to meet with guys he looks up to (including Kobe Bryant and LeBron James) as the proudest moment of his career so far.
“I’ve been very fortunate to meet a lot of people that I grew up watching. Obviously, been able to be teammates with a lot of those guys my rookie year. And then obviously Bron. You know, I wasn’t the biggest fan of Bron growing up—I was a Kobe guy. So that kind of clashed a little bit [laughs]. But being able to be around him every single day, [seeing] the way that he approaches the game, as a student of the game, has been really fun for me because he’s one of the greatest players to ever touch a basketball. So being able to meet people that I idolized growing up and be in the same situations that they were in—I always think about that when I’m in there shooting shots or whatever, that at some point, Kobe had shot the same shot that I was shooting, and countless other Lakers. Those [are] little things that are pinch me moments.”
Ultimately, being a Laker isn’t for the faint of heart. The job involves constant pressure, championship expectations, and a passionate fanbase that will always speak its mind. Despite it all, Reaves risked his entire NBA future to become a Laker, and he’s embraced everything that has come with it.
Now, he’s easily their second most important player and a long-term face of the team. At just 27, he’s viewed as a permanent co-star for Luka Doncic, and he’s more than delivering on expectations with his best season yet as a pro.
