Undrafted out of Oklahoma, Austin Reaves’ NBA experience began with sharing a locker room with one of the greatest of all time in LeBron James. Sadly, the initial feeling didn’t elate Reaves, who started to question himself heavily after practicing with The King.
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Reaves, during training camp with the Lakers in 2021, realized for the first time that the NBA was a level above any form of basketball he had ever played in his life before. And he’s not wrong. There’s a reason the Americans love calling themselves World Champions after winning a ring. They’re truly the best, and there’s no league that comes close to the level of the NBA.
This harsh reality check hit Reaves like a truck when he brushed shoulders with Bron. In an interview, the 27-year-old admitted that James made him feel like he didn’t even belong in the NBA.
“We were just playing and Bron was being Bron,” Reaves began. “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, ‘Alright, there’s nothing I can do.”
LeBron had Austin Reaves questioning his whole career after getting cooked in practice pic.twitter.com/DfzvOnWmJz
— Lakers All Day Everyday (@LADEig) September 19, 2025
It was a ‘Welcome to the NBA moment’ for Reaves, and one that admittedly, p*ssed him off. Thankfully, he didn’t stop there and give up, and instead, went from not being deemed worthy enough by 30 teams in the 2021 Draft to becoming a starter for one of the most storied franchises in the league.
In his rookie year (2021/22), Reaves averaged just 7.3 points and 1.8 assists per game, shooting just 31% from the three-point line. Those numbers went up to 20.2 and 5.8, respectively, with his percentage from downtown moving close to 38. It just shows how well the Arkansas native adapted to the league he felt he was not ready for.
What LeBron thinks about Reaves
Four years have passed since James made Reaves feel inferior during a Lakers practice. Today, he’s a trusted member of the team, and someone James truly counts as a third option behind only himself and Luka Doncic.
In a podcast with Steve Nash, the four-time NBA champ said. “Myself and Luka have the two best defenders, you know, every night. There’s not many teams with a third defender, and that third defender has to guard Austin Reaves.”
It was a clear message from Bron to the rest of the league that the Lakers were going to thrive offensively because of himself, Doncic, and of course, Reaves, who will use the attention on the two superstars to get shots in. And that’s something he’s not shy of doing either.
Both Nash and Bron noted that Reaves has never looked shy of leading the offense or taking shots, even when Doncic and James are on court. “He’s not waiting around,” James stated, with a laugh.
