Austin Reaves’ Girlfriend Jenna Posts Emotional Note Amid Lakers Star's Injury Return

Los Angeles Lakers star Austin Reaves' girlfriend Jenna Barber is happy about her man's return from injury.
 Los Angeles Lakers guard Austin Reaves (15) on December 23, 2025.
Los Angeles Lakers guard Austin Reaves (15) on December 23, 2025. | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

The Los Angeles Lakers have had to manage without one of their best players for about six weeks, as standout guard Austin Reaves has been sidelined with a grade 2 calf strain that he suffered on Christmas Day against the Houston Rockets.

The Lakers were steadily losing ground without Reaves in the lineup, as they're 5-5 in their past 10 games and have slipped to the No. 6 spot in the Western Conference standings.

Los Angeles Lakers guard Austin Reaves (15) against Phoenix Suns guard Jordan Goodwin (23).
Los Angeles Lakers guard Austin Reaves (15) against Phoenix Suns guard Jordan Goodwin (23). | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

RELATED: Injured Lakers guard Austin Reaves shares low-key date night with girlfriend Jenna

Reaves surely wanted nothing more than to be back with his team in the wake of this injury. However, his not being able to compete meant that he could spend more time with his longtime girlfriend, Jenna Barber.

Barber and Reaves have been dating since they met at New Jersey's Cedar Ridge High School in 2014 and are still going strong.

Jenna Barber and Austin Reaves
Jenna Barber and Austin Reaves | Jenna Barber/Instagram

RELATED: Lakers star Austin Reaves' gf Jenna posts emotional note hinting at injury update

Whenever Barber posts something involving her boyfriend, fans are always trying to unpack what she's saying and whether she might be hinting at his injury return.

But they don't need to do this any longer, as Reaves returned to the court during the Lakers' February 3 game against the Brooklyn Nets.

Jenna Barber and Austin Reaves
Barber just celebrated Reaves’ 27th birthday on May 29. | Jenna Barber/Instagram

RELATED: Who is Lakers star Austin Reaves’ girlfriend Jenna Barber?

Jenna Barber Shares Heartfelt Message As Austin Reaves Returns From Injury

Since the Lakers' game is in New York, Barber had to watch her boyfriend return to the court on TV. And she commemorated this moment with an Instagram story post that showed Reaves entering the game for the first time.

"6 weeks later & my show is back on 🤗," the story was captioned.

Jenna Barber's February 3 Instagram story post.
Jenna Barber's February 3 Instagram story post. | Instagram/@jennabarberr

Reaves came off the bench during the game and isn't playing his normal minutes as a way to ease him back to the court.

But Los Angeles is surely excited to have him back in action as they gear up for another run to the postseason.

Jenna Barber
Jenna Barber/Instagram

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Grant Young
GRANT YOUNG

Grant Young covers the Athlete Lifestyle, Women’s Basketball, the New York Mets, the Baltimore Orioles, the Chicago Cubs, and boxing for Sports Illustrated’s ‘On SI’ sites. He holds an MFA degree in creative writing from the University of San Francisco (USF), where he also graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing and played on USF’s Division I baseball team for five years.