Los Angeles Lakers guard Austin Reaves shared a little bit about his relationship with superstar LeBron James, including when he finally stopped “hating” the NBA’s all-time leading scorer.
“I’ve asked LeBron a lot of questions,” Reaves said. “More than he probably wants me to, to be honest. But when you’re playing with the greatest of all time, how do you not try to pick his brain? I’ve asked him what he thought his greatest year was, not in terms of championships but in terms of peak athleticism, skill, and knowledge. For me, I think his best year was the year they lost to K.D. (Kevin Durant) and Steph (Stephen Curry) in the Finals. That was the year I finally stopped hating him.”
In James’ second stint with the Cleveland Cavaliers, he had some miraculous years, finishing in the top four in the league’s MVP voting each of those four seasons. He led the Cavs to the NBA Finals in each season as well, erasing a 3-1 series deficit in the 2016 NBA Finals to beat the Golden State Warriors.
While James lost the next two NBA Finals to Golden State with Durant and Curry on the opposing side, he still put up impressive numbers in those regular seasons and in the Cavs’ playoff runs.
It’s interesting to look back at Reaves not being a fan of his future teammate, but clearly, the Lakers guard has an appreciation for playing alongside James now.
Reaves has blossomed into a rising star for the Lakers, and it earned him a new contract with the franchise ahead of the 2023-24 season.
Last season, Reaves took a step forward, averaging career-highs in points (15.9), rebounds, (4.3), assists (5.5) and steals (0.8) per game. After going undrafted, Reaves has turned himself into one of the most reliable players on the Lakers roster over the last three seasons.
Still, James – who will turn 40 during the 2024-25 season – is the driving force for the Lakers. He averaged 25.7 points, 7.3 rebounds and 8.3 assists per game while shooting 54.0 percent from the field and 41.0 percent from deep in the 2023-24 regular season.
Players like James, Reaves and All-Star big man Anthony Davis have formed a nice core in Los Angeles, and they are hoping to compete for a title in the 2024-25 season.
Lakers fans have to love that Reaves is soaking up as much as he can learn from James to take forward in his NBA career.
