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Austin Reaves

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Austin Reaves
Reaves with the Los Angeles Lakers in 2022
No. 15 – Los Angeles Lakers
PositionShooting guard
LeagueNBA
Personal information
Born (1998-05-29) May 29, 1998 (age 26)
Newark, Arkansas, U.S.
Listed height6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)
Listed weight197 lb (89 kg)
Career information
High schoolCedar Ridge
(Newark, Arkansas)
College
NBA draft2021: undrafted
Playing career2021–present
Career history
2021–presentLos Angeles Lakers
Career highlights and awards
Stats at NBA.com Edit this at Wikidata
Stats at Basketball Reference Edit this at Wikidata

Austin Tyler Reaves (born May 29, 1998)[1] is an American professional basketball player for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Wichita State Shockers and the Oklahoma Sooners. He joined the Lakers as an undrafted free agent.

High school career

Reaves attended Cedar Ridge High School in Newark, Arkansas. He won back-to-back Class 2A state titles in his first two years.[2] Reaves scored 73 points in a triple-overtime win over Forrest City High School.[3] As a senior, he averaged 32.5 points, 8.8 rebounds and 5.1 assists per game, leading his team to a Class 3A state title.[4] Reaves was named MVP of the state tournament after averaging 43.3 points through four games.[5] He was a two-time Class 3A All-State selection.[6] On January 20, 2016, he committed to playing college basketball for Wichita State over offers from South Dakota State and Arkansas State.[7]

College career

Wichita State

Entering his freshman season at Wichita State, Reaves underwent surgery to repair a torn labrum in his left shoulder. He had been playing through the injury since his junior year of high school.[8] As a freshman, he averaged 4.1 points per game in a reserve role. After the season, Reaves underwent surgery to repair a torn labrum in his right shoulder, which had dislocated three times during his college career, causing him to miss games.[9] On January 28, 2018, he posted a sophomore season-high 23 points and four assists in a 90–71 win over Tulsa. Reaves made seven three-pointers in the first half, the most in a half in program history.[10] As a sophomore, he averaged 8.1 points and 3.1 rebounds per game, shooting 42.5 percent from three-point range.[11]

Oklahoma

Reaves at Oklahoma

After his sophomore season, Reaves transferred to Oklahoma and sat out the following season due to NCAA transfer rules. During his redshirt year, he weight trained and gained 20 pounds (9 kg).[12] On March 7, 2020, Reaves recorded a career-high 41 points, six assists and five rebounds in a 78–76 win over TCU. He led a 19-point second-half comeback and made the game-winning shot with 0.5 seconds remaining.[13] As a redshirt junior, Reaves averaged 14.7 points, 5.3 rebounds and three assists per game and was named to the Big 12 All-Newcomer Team.[14] On December 6, 2020, he posted a senior season-high 32 points, nine assists and six rebounds in an 82–78 win against TCU.[15] In the second round of the NCAA tournament, Reaves scored 27 points in an 87–71 loss to top-seeded Gonzaga.[16] As a senior, he averaged 18.4 points, 5.5 rebounds and 4.6 assists per game, earning First Team All-Big 12 honors. On March 31, Reaves declared for the 2021 NBA draft, forgoing his remaining college eligibility.[17]

Professional career

Los Angeles Lakers (2021–present)

Reaves went undrafted in the 2021 NBA draft after declining to be selected 42nd overall by the Detroit Pistons,[18] opting instead to sign a two-way contract with the Los Angeles Lakers on August 3, 2021.[19] On September 27, he was signed to a standard NBA contract.[20] On October 22, Reaves made his NBA debut, scoring eight points off the bench in a 115–105 loss to the Phoenix Suns.[21] On December 15, he scored 15 points, on 5-of-6 shooting from three, grabbed 7 rebounds, and hit a game-winning 3-pointer in a 107–104 victory over the Dallas Mavericks.[22] During the Lakers' season finale on April 10, 2022, in a 146–141 overtime win over the Denver Nuggets, Reaves notched the first triple-double of his career, and put up career highs in rebounds, and assists, with 16 rebounds and 10 assists along with 31 points in 42 minutes.[23]

On March 19, 2023, Reaves scored a career-high 35 points with six rebounds and six assists off the bench in a 111–105 win against the Orlando Magic, in which he scored the final 10 points for the Lakers.[24] On April 16, in game 1 of the first-round playoff series against the Memphis Grizzlies, the first NBA playoff game of his career, he scored 23 points in a 128–112 win. He matched that performance in game 4 of the same series, leading the Lakers in scoring in a 117–111 overtime victory. His successful rookie year led to him receiving the nicknames "Hillbilly Kobe", "White Kobe", and "AR-15", although Reaves himself publicly expressed dislike for such nicknames.[25][26]

On July 6, 2023, Reaves re-signed with the Los Angeles Lakers on a four-year, $54 million contract.[27][28] He started the first eight games of the 2023–24 season for a streak of 34 consecutive starts, dating back to the 2022–23 regular season and playoffs, before coming off the bench for 15 points and seven assists against the Suns in the Lakers' first road win of the season.[28][29][30]

Reaves in 2023

On December 9, 2023, Reaves and the Lakers won the inaugural season of the NBA In-Season Tournament.[31] Reaves scored 28 points off the bench in the championship game against Indiana.[31]

On January 31, 2024, Reaves put up a then season-high 28 points along with six assists and two steals in a 138–122 loss to the Atlanta Hawks.[32] In his next game, on February 1, 2024, he put up 32 points on a career-high seven three-pointers made in a 114–105 win over the Boston Celtics.[33] In his next game on February 3, his first at Madison Square Garden, Reaves provided 22 points, six rebounds, seven assists, and two blocks as the Los Angeles Lakers beat the New York Knicks 113–105, including four free-throws down the stretch.[34][35] Playing without LeBron James on March 26 against the Milwaukee Bucks, Reaves had a triple-double with 29 points, 14 rebounds, and 10 assists in a 128–124 road win in double overtime.[36][37]

National team career

Reaves was selected to play on the 2023 U.S. national team for the FIBA World Cup. He was only the third undrafted player on a U.S. national team of NBA players, following Ben Wallace (2002) and Brad Miller (2006).[38]

Career statistics

Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game
 FG%  Field goal percentage  3P%  3-point field goal percentage  FT%  Free throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game  APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game
 BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game  Bold  Career high

NBA

Regular season

Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2021–22 L.A. Lakers 61 19 23.2 .459 .317 .839 3.2 1.8 .5 .3 7.3
2022–23 L.A. Lakers 64 22 28.8 .529 .398 .864 3.0 3.4 .5 .3 13.0
2023–24 L.A. Lakers 82 57 32.1 .486 .367 .853 4.3 5.5 .8 .3 15.9
Career 207 98 28.5 .493 .365 .855 3.6 3.7 .6 .3 12.4

Play-in

Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2023 L.A. Lakers 1 1 39.4 .308 .200 1.000 6.0 3.0 .0 .0 12.0
2024 L.A. Lakers 1 1 36.5 .455 .400 1.000 5.0 6.0 .0 .0 16.0
Career 2 2 37.9 .375 .300 1.000 5.5 4.5 .0 .0 14.0

Playoffs

Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2023 L.A. Lakers 16 16 36.2 .464 .443 .895 4.4 4.6 .6 .2 16.9
2024 L.A. Lakers 5 5 34.8 .476 .269 .895 3.8 3.6 1.4 .6 16.8
Career 21 21 35.9 .467 .404 .895 4.3 4.3 .8 .3 16.9

College

Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2016–17 Wichita State 33 0 11.8 .448 .509 .757 1.8 1.1 .4 .3 4.1
2017–18 Wichita State 33 11 21.5 .450 .425 .827 3.1 2.0 .5 .2 8.1
2018–19 Oklahoma Redshirt Redshirt
2019–20 Oklahoma 31 31 33.2 .381 .259 .848 5.3 3.0 1.0 .3 14.7
2020–21 Oklahoma 25 25 34.5 .443 .305 .865 5.5 4.6 .9 .3 18.3
Career 122 67 24.5 .421 .347 .844 3.8 2.6 .7 .3 10.8

Off the court

Personal life

Reaves grew up a Los Angeles Lakers fan.[39]

Reaves is the son of Nicole Wilkett and Brian Reaves. Both of his parents played college basketball for Arkansas State. His mother averaged 21.3 points per game and earned all-conference honors as a senior, while his father tied for third in program history with 384 career assists.[40] Reaves' brother, Spencer, played college basketball for North Greenville and Central Missouri before embarking on a professional career with Juaristi ISB in Spain.[14] As of 2023–24, Spencer is with Rasta Vechta in Germany. Reaves credits his brother for sparking his interest in basketball.[41]

Reaves' grandmother is German, which allowed him to obtain a German passport in 2022. In 2023, he expressed interest in playing for Germany's national team,[42] but later joined the 2023 U.S. World Cup team.[43]

Endorsements & Business Interests

Rigorer

In March 2023, Reaves signed a signature shoe deal with Chinese sports apparel brand Rigorer, whose shoes he wore through the 2022–23 season. The first shoe named "AR1" was released in August 2023 via sneaker marketplace Kicks Crew.[44]

References

  1. ^ "Austin Reaves Stats, Height, Weight, Position, Draft Status and more". Basketball-Reference.com. Retrieved March 6, 2023.
  2. ^ Taylor, Erick (March 12, 2016). "Reaves establishes mindset for scoring". Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. Retrieved November 10, 2020.
  3. ^ Pflugradt, Evan (November 15, 2016). "Meet Austin Reaves: The freshman who 'catches a lot of people off guard'". The Sunflower. Retrieved November 10, 2020.
  4. ^ Suellentrop, Paul (April 12, 2016). "Arkansas guard Austin Reaves made team chemistry a priority". The Wichita Eagle. Retrieved November 10, 2020.
  5. ^ "College BB: Former Wildkat's son plays for Wichita State". Kokomo Tribune. December 27, 2016. Retrieved November 10, 2020.
  6. ^ Suellentrop, Paul (April 13, 2016). "Arkansas guard Austin Reaves signs with Wichita State's basketball team". The Wichita Eagle. Retrieved November 10, 2020.
  7. ^ Suellentrop, Paul (January 20, 2016). "Arkansas guard Austin Reaves commits to Wichita State". The Wichita Eagle. Retrieved November 10, 2020.
  8. ^ Funschelle, Aliyah (August 11, 2017). "Austin Reaves fights nagging shoulder injury". The Sunflower. Retrieved November 10, 2020.
  9. ^ Suellentrop, Paul (April 5, 2017). "Wichita State's Austin Reaves has shoulder surgery". The Wichita Eagle. Retrieved November 10, 2020.
  10. ^ Eldridge, Taylor (January 29, 2018). "Austin Reaves' mother on son's historic performance: 'I was shaking'". The Wichita Eagle. Retrieved November 10, 2020.
  11. ^ Bitterman, Abby (December 14, 2019). "OU men's basketball: Austin Reaves returns to Wichita a different player than when he left". The Oklahoman. Retrieved November 10, 2020.
  12. ^ Buettner, Joe (June 27, 2019). "OU men's basketball: Austin Reaves makes most of redshirt season in weight room". The Norman Transcript. Retrieved November 10, 2020.
  13. ^ Emig, Guerin (March 9, 2020). "Putting Austin Reaves' wonder game vs. TCU in perspective". Tulsa World. Retrieved November 10, 2020.
  14. ^ a b Taylor, Erick (May 20, 2020). "Still bouncing around: Paths lead brothers back home for now". The Northwest Arkansas Times. Retrieved November 9, 2020.
  15. ^ Hart, Hallie (December 7, 2020). "OU men's basketball: Austin Reaves scores 32 points to lead Sooners past TCU in Big 12 opener". The Oklahoman. Retrieved July 28, 2021.
  16. ^ Carlson, Jenny (March 22, 2021). "Carlson: Austin Reaves 'left it all out there' but Sooners can't topple undefeated Gonzaga". The Oklahoman. Retrieved July 28, 2021.
  17. ^ Givony, Jonathan (March 31, 2021). "Oklahoma Sooners guard Austin Reaves declaring for NBA draft". ESPN. Retrieved July 28, 2021.
  18. ^ Austin Reaves Ep 192 ALL THE SMOKE Full Episode SHOWTIME BASKETBALL. youtube.com. July 21, 2023. Event occurs at 7:25. Retrieved July 23, 2023.
  19. ^ Kioski, Nick (August 3, 2021). "Lakers Sign Joel Ayayi and Austin Reaves to Two-Way Contracts". NBA.com. Retrieved August 3, 2021.
  20. ^ Wong, S. (September 27, 2021). "Lakers Sign Austin Reaves to Standard NBA Contract". NBA.com. Retrieved September 27, 2021.
  21. ^ "Suns vs. Lakers - Box Score - October 22, 2021". ESPN. Archived from the original on October 23, 2021. Retrieved October 23, 2021.
  22. ^ Corvo, Michael (December 16, 2021). "LeBron James reacts to Austin Reaves' game winner vs. Mavs". ClutchPoints. Retrieved December 17, 2021.
  23. ^ "Reaves, Monk lead Lakers past Nuggets 146-141 in OT". USA Today. Associated Press. April 10, 2022. Retrieved April 10, 2022.
  24. ^ Salao, R.P. (March 19, 2023). "LeBron James' stunned reaction to Austin Reaves carrying Lakers vs. Magic". ClutchPoints. Retrieved March 19, 2023.
  25. ^ McMenamin, Dave (July 22, 2022). "Lakers' Reaves wants to shed 'AR-15' nickname". ESPN.com. Retrieved October 27, 2023.
  26. ^ "Lakers guard Austin Reaves wants to get rid of 'AR-15' nickname". CBSSports.com. July 22, 2022. Retrieved May 23, 2023.
  27. ^ "Los Angeles Lakers Re-Sign Austin Reaves". NBA.com. July 6, 2023. Retrieved July 6, 2023.
  28. ^ a b Price, Khobi (November 10, 2023). "Lakers get healthier, shake up starting lineup in Phoenix". Los Angeles Daily News. Retrieved November 11, 2023.
  29. ^ Price, Khobi (November 10, 2023). "Lakers rally past Suns for first road win in their In-Season Tournament debut". Los Angeles Daily News. Retrieved November 11, 2023.
  30. ^ Woike, Dan (November 10, 2023). "Lakers defeat the Suns for first road win of the season". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved November 11, 2023.
  31. ^ a b "Lakers take NBA Cup as AD explodes for 41-20". ESPN.com. December 10, 2023. Retrieved December 10, 2023.
  32. ^ "Lakers' Austin Reaves: Hits for season-high 28 in loss". CBSSports.com. January 31, 2024. Retrieved February 4, 2024.
  33. ^ Corvo, Michael (February 1, 2024). "Austin Reaves sounds off after leading Lakers to huge upset over Celtics without LeBron James, Anthony Davis". ClutchPoints. Retrieved February 2, 2024.
  34. ^ "Austin Reaves Career Vs New York Knicks". StatMuse. Retrieved February 4, 2024.
  35. ^ "Los Angeles Lakers vs New York Knicks Feb 3, 2024 Game Summary". www.nba.com. Retrieved February 4, 2024.
  36. ^ Woike, Dan (March 26, 2024). "Lakers open six-game trip with double-overtime win over the Bucks". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved March 27, 2024.
  37. ^ Sampson, Peter (March 26, 2024). "Austin Reaves' insane triple-double has D'Angelo Russell, Lakers hyped". ClutchPoints. Retrieved March 26, 2024.
  38. ^ Schuhmann, John (August 3, 2023). "USA Basketball taking inexperienced roster to 2023 FIBA World Cup". NBA.com. Retrieved August 7, 2023.
  39. ^ Brown, James. "Austin Reaves reveals the source of his inspiration for his outstanding performance". Lakers Zone. Retrieved March 20, 2023.
  40. ^ Eldridge, Taylor (December 18, 2017). "Arkansas State game takes WSU's Austin Reaves back to his roots". The Kansas City Star. Retrieved November 9, 2020.
  41. ^ Bitterman, Abby (January 18, 2020). "'I might not be here': How Austin Reaves' older brother made the Sooners guard the player he is today". The Oklahoman. Retrieved November 9, 2020.
  42. ^ "Austin Reaves might play for Germany in 2023 FIBA World Cup". basketnews.com. Retrieved March 23, 2023.
  43. ^ "USA FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 roster: Anthony Edwards, Tyrese Haliburton headline commitments to US men's team". sportingnews.com. June 4, 2023. Retrieved June 15, 2023.
  44. ^ Li, Closer Looks: Austin Reaves x Rigorer AR1 "Ice Cream" (August 15, 2023). "Closer Looks: Austin Reaves x Rigorer AR1 "Ice Cream"". Hypebeast.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
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