Over the four years he’s been an NBA player, Austin Reaves has evolved into a core member of the Lakers roster. However, his ascension to one of the premier shooting guards in the association didn’t happen overnight. Despite going undrafted in 2021, Reaves didn’t stop working towards his dream. He sought out and signed a two-way contract with the Lakers after the draft. But just over a month later, the team converted his deal to a standard contract, thanks to a stellar performance in a special event.
Reaves made a guest appearance on teammate D’Angelo Russell’s The Backyard Podcast. He shared the details of the event, which changed the trajectory of his NBA career. His performance in LeBron’s private mini-camp solidified his future with the franchise. He said,
“I think it was the day before training camp. I went to Bron’s mini-camp. My agent called me on Saturday. We were coming back here on Sunday and was like, ‘Rob wants to get on a call when you get back Sunday.’ I thought it was going to be more of like just keep doing what you’re doing… I was like, I’m going to show up and do what I got to do and that next day I got converted.”
Once Russell received light of the situation he coined a hilarious term for the process that happened to Reaves. He said,
“You went through the Bron-shing machine. You had to get approved and validated first.”
Reaves quickly earned the trust and approval of the Lakers. Usually, teams will wait to see how a player performs in the regular season before making a decision. The Lakers knew they had to secure Reaves before an opposing team made a run for the young guard.
AR-15 excelled in his early years with the team, showing his talent from the get-go. Whatever trust he built between LeBron James during the mini-camp, he strengthened it in the NBA. In his rookie season, he nailed a clutch game-winning three-pointer against the Mavericks, which ignited his clutch gene. The moment he truly earned the trust of the team came during the Lakers’ first-round series against the Grizzlies in 2023. Reaves took over in the clutch during Game 1 willing the team to victory.
Since that moment, he’s become one of the first young players that LeBron trusts with the game on the line.
LeBron James and Austin Reaves’ connection
James’ fondness for Reaves exceeds their connection on the basketball court. The NBA’s all-time leading scorer hasn’t been shy to give praise to the 6-foot-5 guard. Despite not possessing jaw-dropping athletic abilities, James is a big fan of Reaves’ ability to play winning basketball.
“I don’t give a f–k about, like, athleticism; how great you can shoot the ball; how high you can jump; how fast you can run, “ said James. “I like high basketball IQ guys. Obviously, you got to have that s–t to win a championship. You got to have guys that can do extraordinary s–t. But, like, I’ve always had a liking to guys that just know how to play the f–king game of basketball.”
Reaves has quickly become almost untouchable when it comes to potential Lakers trades. He’s solidified his position as the third star on this Lakers roster, and it seems like LeBron’s stamp of approval goes a very long way.
2024-12-16 17:27:41