Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports
Former Oklahoma Star Lands Massive NBA Contract
Austin Reaves just got paid.
The former Sooners star has signed a four-year, $56 million contract extension with the Los Angeles Lakers, according to NBA insider Shams Charania.
Reaves was undrafted in the 2021 NBA Draft, but quickly caught on with the Lakers, averaging 7.3 points per game as a rookie and nearly doubling that last season to 13.0.
Reaves eventually became a key piece in the Lakers’ postseason run this year, averaging 16.9 points, 4.4 rebounds and 4.6 assists per game.
According to Charania, the Lakers want to keep Reaves in Los Angeles “long term,” reflected by his “early bird maximum” contract, which includes a player option for the fourth year, a 15 percent trade kicker and “included everything they legally could do” to ensure he remains a Laker.
Reaves played for Lon Kruger for two seasons at OU after transferring from Wichita State. He averaged 14.7 points in 2019-20 and 18.3 in 2020-21, shooting .443 from the field and .305 from 3-point range.
As a Shocker in 2016-17 and 2017-18, Reaves shot .509 from 3-point range as a true freshman and .425 as a sophomore while averaging 6.1 points per game.
The 6-foot-5 Reaves hails from Newark, AR, where he stood out at Cedar Ridge High School. Lakers fans dubbed him “Hillbilly Kobe” for his rural background and acrobatic scoring skills.
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