Los Angeles Lakers guard Austin Reaves shared a lighthearted story about his grandmother’s protective reaction to a heated on-court exchange with teammate LeBron James. Reaves recalled the moment during an appearance on The Young Man & The Three podcast.
“We’ve had a couple instances of where, you know, we've went at each other,” Reaves said. “My grandma one day was so mad at him. She was like, ‘If he yells at you like that one more time…’ I was like, ‘Mama, it’s okay.’ Like your kids, my mother, your daughter has yelled at me way worse than that. So, it’s fun. It was fun.”
Reaves added that James’ leadership style allows room for accountability and pushback, something that helped him early in his career.
“That’s also a good thing about him. You can go back at him,” Reaves said. “I remember my rookie year, something happened and he was on my a** about something and you know, we have the iPad behind the bench. I walk over to the iPad and I’m like, ‘Hey, I know I didn’t f*** up, but can I see.’ I don’t even think I was anywhere in the wrong… I just tapped him on the shoulder [and] was like, ‘Hey, this is what happened,’ and he was ‘Oh, that’s my bad, my mistake.’ So, you can go back at him.”
Austin Reaves builds on LeBron James exchanges after career-year with Lakers
The Arkansas native has carved out a key role with the Lakers since joining the team as an undrafted rookie in 2021. His growth has mirrored the team’s emphasis on development around its veteran stars. Now entering his fifth NBA season, Reaves has become one of the franchise’s most reliable perimeter options.
During the 2024-25 campaign, he posted career-highs across the board. Reaves averaged 20.2 points, 5.8 assists, 4.5 rebounds and 1.1 steals per game. He shot 46 percent from the field and 37.7 percent from beyond the arc while appearing in 73 games and logging 34.9 minutes per contest.
Reaves, 27, is expected to remain a central piece for Los Angeles heading into the 2025-26 season alongside James and Luka Doncic. His scoring versatility and playmaking have elevated him into one of the Lakers’ core contributors as the franchise pursues another championship run.
