Austin Reaves is one of the most entertaining players in the NBA today. Nicknamed Hilbilly Kobe, Reaves has been essential to the Los Angeles Lakers, and his performances were recently rewarded. The Lakers decided to hand him a $56,000,000 contract, which will keep him at the Crypto.com arena for four years. And, while he is now balling out at the FIBA World Cup, comparisons have been made between him and Lakers legend Magic Johnson, who earned just $39,342,860 in his career.
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There can be no denying that the Lakers will be one of the favorites to win a championship this season. One of the integral pieces to their potential championship success will be the AR-15. Reaves is an up-and-coming guard in the NBA, who has all the right tools to become a superstar. On the other hand, you’ve got Magic, who is widely considered to be the greatest point guard of all time. However, Reaves has surpassed Magic in terms of earnings.
Austin Reaves’ new $56,000,000 contract will see him earn more than Magic Johnson ever did
The Los Angeles Lakers head into the 2023-24 season having made some big moves. Included among them is their decision to hand Austin Reaves a four-year $56,000,000 contract. A smart decision considering how productive he’s been for the team. But, there are many who believe the Lakers have lowballed him.
Given how he’s performed over the last two seasons it’s understandable, but in the grand scheme of things, $56,000,000 is not a cheap deal. This is especially true when you look at the career earnings of Magic Johnson. Having played 12 seasons in the NBA, and continuing to earn for a further 19 seasons after that, Magic only earned $39,342,860 in 31 seasons.
It certainly puts a lot of things into perspective. While Reaves is a great player, he is nowhere near reaching Magic Johnson’s levels of greatness. So, with that in mind, the fact that he is earning almost 142% more than what the Lakers legend earned in his entire career is incredible.
Austin Reaves cap hits:
2023-24: $12.02M
2024-25: $12.98M
2024-26: $13.94M
2026-27: $14.90M$400k less this season had he signed a big offer sheet.
Lakers are $1.3M below the tax and $8.2M below the hard cap with 13 players after they sign Maxwell Lewis to a rookie minimum. https://t.co/M4MyPfRFfx
— Yossi Gozlan (@YossiGozlan) July 1, 2023
It may seem bewildering right now but hopes for Hilbilly Kobe are high. Who knows? Perhaps Reaves will go beyond all expectations and establish himself as a Laker great, just like Magic. That being said, he still has a long way to go, but at the age of just 25, he’s still got plenty of time to surpass his limits.
Magic had high praise for Reaves after the Lakers got eliminated in the WCF
Unfortunately, for the LA Lakers, the 2022-23 season ended in heartbreak. Despite making it to the Western Conference Finals, they couldn’t make it over the hump that was Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets. Nevertheless, there were a lot of positives to take home after the season, and Magic Johnson so kindly pointed them out on Twitter.
He commented that Darvin Ham is the right coach for the Lakers and that the team has two superstars LeBron James and Anthony Davis. But, that’s not all. Additionally, the Lakers have some emerging superstars. The first was Rui Hachimura and the second was Hillbilly Kobe himself, Austin Reaves.
Laker Nation it’s a couple things we now know…we have the right Coach with Darvin Ham, two superstars in LeBron and Anthony Davis, and emerging stars in Austin Reaves and Rui Hachimura. Hopefully Rob Pelinka will have an outstanding offseason and build on this Playoff run.
— Earvin Magic Johnson (@MagicJohnson) May 23, 2023
It certainly will be interesting to see if Reaves lives up to all the expectations that have now been placed on his shoulders. He definitely has the talent. However, it will be up to him to turn himself from an emerging star to a superstar. Hopefully, that shouldn’t be a problem for the 25-year-old.
