Afraid of the Repercussions, Austin Reaves Awkwardly Confessed his Kobe Bryant Love to LeBron James: “I was Shitting On You”

Austin Reaves is a rising star in the NBA. He has flourished under the tutelage of LeBron James, with the two practically being best buds at this point. However, Reaves is a die-hard Kobe Bryant fan, and back in 2012 he even sent out a post mocking The King and his lack of rings at the time. This obviously led to an awkward confession towards James. But the King, now with rings, just laughed it off.

The Los Angeles Lakers have had a great second half of the season. Following the All-Star break, the Lakers managed to sneak in via the Play-In tournament. And, after taming the Memphis Grizzlies, they now find themselves in a second-round Playoff matchup against the Golden State Warriors.

One of the reasons for their success is the man nicknamed “Hillbilly Kobe”. Austin Reaves was in exceptional form after the break, as he averaged close to 18 points per game under the wing of King James. And, while he may be ecstatic about working with LeBron now, that wasn’t the case when he was 14 years old.

Austin Reaves was forced to confess his love for Kobe Bryant to LeBron James

Back in March of 2023, the Lakers secured a 123-108 victory over the New Orleans Pelicans. Following the win, 24-year-old guard, Austin Reaves received some worrying news. News that could have affected his relationship with LeBron James.

Reputed sports news outlet, SportsCenter had dug up some of his old Facebook posts. One of which was a post from 2012, back when he was just 14 years old. The post in question was one that mocked King James about his lack of rings.

To be specific, Reaves made a meme template with his favorite player Kobe Bryant shrugging in the picture. On top of it, were the words, “When I need peace and quiet, I set my phone to LeBron mode“. Of course, Austin panicked, and as he revealed to FOX Sports, the first thing he did was speak to LeBron. He explained the situation and proclaimed his love for the Black Mamba.

Reaves: “I saw ‘SportsCenter’ posted it. I was just like, ‘S**t.’ I called Bron over and was like, ‘Look, I was sh**ing on you back in 2012. I was a Kobe fan.’ He just laughed it off.”

Safe to say, the Arkansas native dodged a bullet with that one. And, while his favorite player might still be Kobe Bryant, there can be no denying his respect and reverence for The King.

Austin Reaves has been a key part of the Lakers’ Playoff run

LeBron James is without a doubt the heart and soul of the Los Angeles Lakers. He’s been the leader for the Purple and Gold in the 2023 Playoffs. But, one player who has been a great complimentary piece to The King is Austin Reaves. The young guard has been great for the Lakers.

As of now, he is currently averaging 15 points, four rebounds, four assists, and close to a steal a game. All while maintaining a true shooting percentage of 54.7%.

It’s safe to say Reaves has a bright future ahead of him. Luckily he has a great mentor in King James to make sure he treads down the right path.