Lakers’ Austin Reaves Earned LeBron James’ Respect in a Unique Way

Los Angeles Lakers guard Austin Reaves has spent his first five seasons in the league playing alongside LeBron James.

Over that time, James has seen Reaves rise from an undrafted player on a two-way contract to a legitimate NBA starter, months away from a massive payday.

Lakers’ LeBron James Shares Moment He Knew Austin Reaves Was Legit

During the most recent episode of the “Mind The Game” podcast, the four-time NBA champion discussed what his first impressions were of Reaves.

“It’s kinda funny, we always talk about this," James said. "He didn’t play like a white boy; it was very different. His wiggle was very different. 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. I thought that his game would translate to us. His ability to crack the seams and his ability to get into the paint and him playing, even though their team wasn’t as good at Oklahoma his game kinda, it showed a pro. "

Getting a co-sign from @KingJames is the ultimate badge of honor.

Watch the full conversation out now on YouTube, @PrimeVideo, or wherever else you listen to your podcasts. pic.twitter.com/hcp3DIpjxf
— Mind the Game (@mindthegamepod) March 24, 2026

“As soon as training camp started I kinda made it a point to kinda beeline into him and kind of force something into him maybe before he even saw it," James said of testing Reaves. "Push that belief and that confidence like you belong here. What my basketball mechanism and hard drive attach to is guys that know how to play the game. And it’s a reason why, like he’s saying, came into the league 6’5, 180 or whatever the case may be, bulked up a little bit now. But it’s a reason why he’s not the fastest, not the most athletic, but he’s averaging 25 a game and playing at a high level. And at any given night, he’s No. 1 on the opposing team’s depth chart of this is what we gotta take away.”

James has had a front-row seat to Reaves’ development into a bonafide scorer and playmaker, who is playing at an All-Star level.

What has fueled that rise has been Oklahoma product’s internal drive to get the most out of his ability. James saw that from the get-go, and it comes as no surprise to see his teammate become the player he is now.

Reaves has taken another step this season as he’s become the clear No.2 option in the Lakers’ offense behind Luka Doncic. He’s putting forth a career-best campaign, averaging a career-best 23.5 points along with 5.5 assists and 4.7 rebounds while shooting 49.4 percent from the floor and 36.2 percent from beyond the arc.

It could be fairly argued that he was on pace to earn his first All-Star selection had he not missed 19 straight games due to a left calf strain. He was putting up numbers that placed him among the top backcourt players in the league.

Beyond that, he’s cemented his status as a player Los Angeles wants to be part of the long-term future alongside Doncic.

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