For the Los Angeles Lakers, it is always the stars that get the most attention. From Magic Johnson to Kobe Bryant and now LeBron James, the Lakers are a franchise built on superstars. But there have also been a number of role players who are almost as beloved as their superstar counterparts with the likes of Lamar Odom, Robert Horry, Derek Fisher and Alex Caruso becoming extremely popular. And the latest player to reach this point has been Austin Reaves.
Reaves had already become one of the Lakers’ most trusted role players, but when he got the opportunity for a bigger role following the trade deadline, his performance exploded. That carried on into the playoffs when he helped the Lakers reach the Western Conference Finals and his popularity soared even higher.
One person who loved Reaves was actually the nephew of Kobe Bryant. With Reaves on the All The Smoke podcast, host Matt Barnes revealed a story about reaching out to the Lakers guard at the behest of Kobe’s sister Shaya, who said Reaves was her son’s favorite player. Despite being in the middle of the playoff run, Reaves sent him a birthday message which caused the son to burst into tears:
Austin Reaves is such a real one for this ?
He gave Kobe’s nephew an unforgettable birthday gift. #RIPKOBE ♾️ pic.twitter.com/ypaCkBP9U4
— SHOWTIME Basketball (@shobasketball) July 20, 2023
It is hard to watch the video and not get at least a little bit emotional as it shows the kind of impact these players can have on the lives of young kids. This is a child who is related to one of the greatest players in NBA history, but just the sight of Reaves was enough to bring tears to his eyes.
It also says a lot about Reaves’ character that he would take the time to do this in the middle of his first ever postseason run. There is no doubt that he was probably exhausted at the time, but Barnes asking him to do this for Kobe’s nephew was enough for him to just take a few seconds to wish a kid a happy birthday and give him a moment he will never forget.
Reaves was already a beloved Laker for what he does on the court, but his character off of it will only endear him to the fanbase that much more.
Lakers’ Austin Reaves considered Spurs, Rockets in free agency
While he did re-sign with the Lakers on a new four-year contract this summer, there was the chance that Reaves could move elsewhere. And he admitted there were a couple of suitors.
The Lakers guard recently revealed that he considered both the Houston Rockets and San Antonio Spurs before ultimately re-signing with the Lakers, while adding that L.A. was always the place he wanted to be.
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