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Los Angeles Lakers guard Austin Reaves grew up a Kobe Bryant fan. So back in 2012 when the Arkansas native was 13, he posted a meme on his Facebook account bashing LeBron James.
James, a four-time champion, had zero rings when Reaves posted that meme in 2012. The superstar wound up winning his first title against the Oklahoma City Thunder as a member of the Miami Heat in June 2012, but the meme Reaves posted when he was a kid resurfaced on the internet this season and the rising star got nervous about it.
“I saw ‘SportsCenter’ posted it,” Reaves told Melissa Rohlin FOX Sports. “I was just like, ‘S—.'”
Reaves and James have a close relationship, so the former was able to approach the latter about the old meme and joke about it.
“I called Bron over and was like, ‘Look, I was s—-ing on you back in 2012. I was a Kobe fan,'” Reaves said. “[James] just laughed it off.”
Reaves went undrafted out of Oklahoma and signed a two-way contract with the Lakers in August 2021. The purple and gold converted Reaves’ two-way contract to a regular contract in September 2021 and now the versatile guard is one of the best players on the LakeShow.
LeBron James Recently Told Austin Reaves Something That Still Resonates With Him
According to Rohlin, James recently told Reaves something that still resonates with the guard, who becomes a restricted free agent this summer.
“I had come off a ball screen and I had already made up my mind that I was going to get him the ball,” Reaves said. “That’s obviously never a bad decision. But the way they were guarding us, it called for me to get downhill, get to the rim or make a play for somebody else. He came up to me and was like, ‘Don’t worry about getting me the ball. I’m going to find obviously ways to impact the game and I’m going to do what I do. Just be yourself. And take what the defense gives you.'”
Reaves is averaging 14.7 points, 4.5 rebounds and 4.1 assists in the 2023 playoffs. The Lakers, who started the season 2-10, are one win away from advancing to the Western Conference Finals.
Austin Reaves Reveals Why He & LeBron James Connected
Reaves believes he and James connected so quickly because of their similar basketball IQ level.
“I think it just started off basketball-wise, IQ-wise,” Reaves said. “I think we kinda met on an IQ level just playing the game the right way, knowing the game. That stuff comes easy for both of us. I think it really formed from there. He’s this guy who is the greatest player of all time, this, that and the other. But at the end of the day, he’s a human who does human things. He’s hilarious, jokes around a lot. Our personalities mesh together.”
As expected, James wants the Lakers to re-sign Reaves this offseason, sources told Heavy Sports. As a restricted free agent, Reaves can either re-sign with Los Angeles or sign an offer sheet with a rival team. The Lakers can match any offer sheet Reaves signs as long as it comes within 48 hours.
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