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LeBron James made a subtle but symbolic change ahead of the Los Angeles Lakers’ 134-127 win over the Memphis Grizzlies on March 29 — one inspired by teammate Austin Reaves. In an effort to shift momentum after a rough stretch and a shocking loss to the Chicago Bulls two days earlier, James turned to a new look: a headband.
In the visitors locker room at FedEx Forum, Reaves noticed James had matched his look.
“He looked at me and said, ‘Oh, you wearing a headband?'” James told ESPN. “I said, ‘Yeah, you know, s—, I've been a little bit out of rhythm. I need to change the energy in this b—-.'
“And I said, ‘It worked for you.'”
James delivered a well-rounded performance in the win, posting 25 points, eight assists, six rebounds, three steals, and a block. The victory helped Los Angeles reset following the dramatic buzzer-beater by Josh Giddey that sank them in Chicago.
Austin Reaves’ headband started as a joke during Lakers’ rough stretch
Reaves, however, had been wearing the headband for months. He first broke it out in December, during a difficult stretch when the Lakers had fallen to 10th in the Western Conference following a 2-7 slide. The 26-year-old said the idea came from a desire to lighten the mood.
“I just remember when everybody got back, everybody was kind of just in a fog,” Reaves said. “So I randomly was like, ‘F— it, I'm going to put a headband on and see if I can make somebody smile.'”
Lakers forward Jarred Vanderbilt said the look made a difference in the locker room.
“It definitely was a tough time for us,” Vanderbilt told ESPN. “Coming off of that road trip, it was pretty nasty, so it kind of lightened the mood up a little bit. But that's just him. He's a good guy, good teammate. Always positive and just being a light and a joy to our team.”
Reaves recalled the initial reaction.
“They all just looked at me like I was crazy and just started laughing,” he said. “I was like, ‘Well, I accomplished my goal.'”
Reaves thrives as the LakeShow surge, drawing high praise from rival executive
Since that moment, the Lakers have gone 34-19, with Reaves playing some of his best basketball of the season. Among his highlights are a game-winning layup against the Golden State Warriors on Christmas Day, a career-high 45-point performance in a win over the Indiana Pacers, and a 31-point, eight-assist, seven-rebound outing in the win over Memphis.
Reaves is averaging 20.2 points, 5.8 assists, 4.5 rebounds, and 1.1 steals per game on 45.8% shooting from the field and 37.4% from three across 70 games. Over the past 15 contests, he has increased his production to 25.5 points, 5.8 assists, and 5.3 rebounds per game while shooting 50.8% from the field and 41.3% from three.
In the same feature, a Western Conference executive called Reaves “the best undrafted player since Ben Wallace,” further illustrating the guard’s rising stature in the league.
The Lakers (48-30) will face the NBA-best Oklahoma City Thunder (64-14) on Tuesday at 8:00 p.m. ET in the second game of their mini-series. The Lakers routed the Thunder 126-109 on Sunday, gaining separation in the Western Conference standings. The win put Los Angeles 1.5 games ahead of the Denver Nuggets (47-32) and two games ahead of the Golden State Warriors (46-32) in the race for the No. 3 seed.
