One of the better on-court stories for the Los Angeles Lakers over the last three years has been the chemistry between superstar LeBron James and young guard Austin Reaves. The two have been extremely successful when they’ve shared the floor given both of their abilities to make the right decision with the ball in their hands and create their own shots.
James and Reaves have also built a strong relationship off the court, stemming from their on-court synergy. There is a reason Reaves has been one of the staples of the Lakers offense over the last three years despite some immense roster turnover. The Lakers have routinely made him unavailable in trade talks as a result.
But one thing that James and Reaves don’t do together is play one-on-one pickup games. Reaves was asked who he would play in a solo game and was asked if he’s ever played against James, and he revealed why that has never happened, via BustaJack Golf:
“I’ll play anybody one-on-one. I’m not saying I’ll win but I’ll play anybody. He doesn’t play one-on-one. He said one-on-one’s not real basketball which I kind of agree with. I’ll play Sam Hauser, NBA champion. Congrats.”
Even though James is one of the most physically gifted and dominant players in NBA history, it makes perfect sense why he would not want to play in one-on-one games. He has always said that his favorite part of playing the game has been getting teammates involved and moving the ball.
That type of play style is not conducive to just trying to score on one individual defender. Especially because given his physical attributes, James could easily win against most players in the NBA even at his age. Maybe Reaves can get a one-on-one against him some day before the Lakers superstar calls it a career in the next couple years.
Bryce James says he would beat LeBron James one-on-one
It appears that LeBron James’ preference not to play in one-on-one games doesn’t extend to his children, as his son Bryce was asked who would win in a one-on-one and he said he would be able to beat his dad. However, he did not say that he and LeBron have already played against one another.
Perhaps Bryce, the high school senior, would have a chance against his dad, but it doesn’t seem like something we’ll get an answer to any time soon.
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