LeBron James Waxes Lyrical About Austin Reaves: “He Didn’t Play Like a White Boy”

Under LeBron James' tutelage, Austin Reaves has grown from an afterthought to one of the league's best guards.

LeBron James Waxes Lyrical About Austin Reaves: “He Didn’t Play Like a White Boy”

Austin Reaves and LeBron James (Image via FirstSportz)

In Short
  • LeBron James praised Austin Reaves for his unique playing style and growth within the Lakers.
  • Reaves has emerged as the No. 2 player on the team, surpassing LeBron's role.
  • James has adjusted his position to support Reaves, contributing to the team's recent success.

There was a time when Austin Reaves was touted as an experimental role player for the Los Angeles Lakers, led by veteran superstar LeBron James.

The undrafted guard was seen as nothing more than a situational scorer, who could come in and help the men in purple and gold hold their score until their top players returned from a break.

Reaves continued to be that, but at the same time, he was elevating his game slowly and steadily. Now, in his fifth season with the team, he has seemingly taken over the No. 2 spot on a team led by Luka Doncic, and still has the four-time champion on the roster.

He didn’t play like a white boy. It was very different. His wiggle was very different. I mean, I grew up in Northeast Ohio, so I know white guys playing like white guys and white guys playing like the brothers. And what I could see in his game is that he had a lot of wiggle to his game, and that was one of the one things that, quite frankly, we were missing… We didn’t have.

LeBron James said

This is the King revealing what he saw in Austin Reaves when the Arkansas native first started practicing with him and the Lakers. The 41-year-old superstar continued to explain to his Mind the Game podcast co-host Steve Nash, that their rookie played the game as he does.

LeBron James reveals helping Austin Reaves’ growth from the start

After talking about what he saw in Austin Reaves‘ college game tape, LeBron James then revealed how and why he reached out to the now 27-year-old.

So as soon as training camp started, I kind of made it a point to kind of beeline it to him and kind of force something into him, maybe even before he even saw it. Push that belief and that confidence like you belong here… But also, I saw he had game too, and I really thought that it could translate to the big leagues

LeBron James said

The four-time league MVP went on to mention how, despite his athletic shortcomings, Reaves has developed into a guard who is often on the opposing teams’ primary priorities in their scouting reports.

LeBron James and his younger teammate have had quite the moments during these past few years, some of which were humorous, but also proved how close they have been through this phase.

That is why Austin Reaves always makes it a point to praise the oldest player in the league for helping him become who he is now, and that is someone who has overtaken his mentor to become a superstar in his own right.

Austin Reaves’ growth has forced LeBron James to take a back seat

Austin Reaves has grown to a point where he is now the de facto No. 2 player behind Luka Doncic, and ahead of his mentor, LeBron James. To facilitate that, the latter has had to sacrifice his role on the Lakers.

LeBron James has ceded ground to Austin Reaves
LeBron James has ceded ground to Austin Reaves (Image via Yostin NBA/X)

That adjustment led to an uptick in performances, which the team utilized to win nine straight games. If not for questionable officiating, maybe that could have been 10 straight, a mark the franchise last enjoyed seven years ago.

Even though James has willingly given up on his previous role, he will also have to take a step back when it comes to his next contract, if he were to stay with the Lakers.

The all-time leading scorer might have options, but staying with family at their base is more lucrative than another chance of earning a $50 million contract.

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