Los Angeles Lakers guard Austin Reaves is today recognized as a borderline star in the NBA, but he came into the league as an undrafted free agent in 2021. Reaves got to see LeBron James up close after signing with the Lakers and revealed in an interview with Aron Cohen that the icon gave him his ‘Welcome to the NBA’ moment.
“The only time I ever thought that I didn’t belong on a basketball court was in training camp actually,” Reaves said. “We were just playing and Bron was being Bron, and I was just kinda like, ‘I don’t know if I can play to this standard.’ He hit like four baseline fadeaways, and I was just like, alright, there’s nothing I can do. It pissed me off.”
There is no shame in Reaves questioning if he belonged on this stage after going up against James. There are probably a lot of players who have felt that way when they had the misfortune of playing against him.
Fortunately, Reaves hasn’t had to play against James in an actual NBA game yet in his career. He has become one of the 21-time All-Star’s most trusted teammates, and few would have seen this coming back in 2021.
The Lakers signed Reaves to a two-way contract in August, but he quickly managed to impress them to the point that he was given a standard deal in September. While he felt out of place when he saw James dominate during training camp, his new teammate thought otherwise.
James claimed he knew from their first practice together that Reaves wouldn’t be a two-way player for much longer. He stated that high-IQ players like the guard fit well with him, and that has proven to be the case.
James made these comments after Reaves’ first-ever playoff game back in 2023 against the Memphis Grizzlies. He scored 23 points on his playoff debut and showed he was the real deal, not just some flash in the pan.
Reaves has gone from strength to strength since. The 27-year-old averaged 20.2 points, 4.5 rebounds, 5.8 assists, 1.1 steals, and 0.3 blocks per game for the Lakers in 2024-25. It’s been a stunning rise, and Reaves was asked what advice he’d have for players who are starting off in the NBA the same way he did.
“Just keep working,” Reaves stated. “At some point, you’re gonna get an opportunity. Gonna feel like that opportunity is never gonna present itself, but if you keep working and do the right things on and off the court, that opportunity will present itself, and then it’s all about taking advantage of that one opportunity you get.”
Reaves grabbed his opportunity with both hands and is now set to have a long and successful NBA career. He is reportedly seeking a deal worth over $30 million a year in 2026, and it won’t be a surprise if the asking price is met. The question is whether the Lakers will be the ones meeting it or some other team.
