Austin Tyler Reaves (born May 29, 1998) is an American professional

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular court, compete with the primary objective of shooting a basketball (approximately in diameter) through the defender's h ...

player for the Los Angeles Lakers of the

National Basketball Association The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball sports league, league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues i ...

(NBA). He played

college basketball In United States colleges, top-tier basketball is governed by collegiate athletic bodies including National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), the United States Collegiate Athleti ...

for the

Wichita State Shockers The Wichita State Shockers are the athletic teams that represent Wichita State University, located in Wichita, Kansas, in intercollegiate sports as a member of the NCAA Division I ranks, primarily competing in the American Athletic Conference (A ...

and the

Oklahoma Sooners The Oklahoma Sooners are the athletic teams that represent the University of Oklahoma, located in Norman. The 19 men's and women's varsity teams are called the " Sooners", a reference to a nickname given to the early participants in the Land R ...

. He joined the Lakers as an

undrafted free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who is a ...

High school career

Reaves attended Cedar Ridge High School in

Newark, Arkansas Newark is a city in Independence County, Arkansas, United States. The population was 1,180 at the 2020 census. The local high school has won three basketball state championships, two quiz bowl state titles, and one softball state championship. Th ...

. He won back-to-back Class 2A state titles in his first two years. Reaves scored 73 points in a triple-overtime win over

Forrest City High School Forrest City High School is a comprehensive public high school in Forrest City, Arkansas, United States. It is the sole high school administered by the Forrest City School District and its main feeder school is Forrest City Junior High School. ...

. As a senior, he averaged 32.5 points, 8.8 rebounds and 5.1 assists per game, leading his team to a Class 3A state title. Reaves was named MVP of the state tournament after averaging 43.3 points through four games. He was a two-time Class 3A All-State selection. On January 20, 2016, he committed to playing college basketball for

Wichita State Wichita State University (WSU) is a public research university in Wichita, Kansas, United States. It is governed by the Kansas Board of Regents. The university offers more than 60 undergraduate degree programs in more than 200 areas of stud ...

over offers from

South Dakota State South Dakota State University is a public land-grant research university in Brookings, South Dakota. Founded in 1881, it is the state's largest and most comprehensive university and the oldest continually-operating university in South Dakota. The ...

and

Arkansas State Arkansas ( ) is a landlocked state in the South Central United States. It is bordered by Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, and Texas and Oklahoma to the west. Its name is from the Osage ...

College career

Wichita State

Entering his freshman season at Wichita State, Reaves underwent surgery to repair a torn labrum in his left shoulder. He had been playing through the injury since his junior year of high school. As a freshman, he averaged 4.1 points per game in a reserve role. After the season, Reaves underwent surgery to repair a torn labrum in his right shoulder, which had dislocated three times during his college career, causing him to miss games. On January 28, 2018, he posted a sophomore season-high 23 points and four assists in a 90–71 win over

Tulsa Tulsa () is the second-largest city in the state of Oklahoma and 47th-most populous city in the United States. The population was 413,066 as of the 2020 census. It is the principal municipality of the Tulsa Metropolitan Area, a region with ...

. Reaves made seven three-pointers in the first half, the most in a half in program history. As a sophomore, he averaged 8.1 points and 3.1 rebounds per game, shooting 42.5 percent from three-point range.

Oklahoma

After his sophomore season, Reaves transferred to Oklahoma and sat out the following season due to

NCAA The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges and ...

transfer rules. During his

redshirt Redshirt, Red Shirt, or Redshirts may refer to: Entertainment * ''Red Shirts'' (film), a 1952 film about Anita Garibaldi by Franco Rossi * Redshirt (stock character), originally derived from ''Star Trek'', a stock character who dies soon after b ...

year, he weight trained and gained . On March 7, 2020, Reaves recorded a career-high 41 points, six assists and five rebounds in a 78–76 win over TCU. He led a 19-point second-half comeback and made the game-winning shot with 0.5 seconds remaining. As a redshirt junior, Reaves averaged 14.7 points, 5.3 rebounds and three assists per game and was named to the

Big 12 The Big 12 Conference is a college athletic conference headquartered in Irving, Texas, USA. It consists of ten full-member universities. It is a member of Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) for all sports. Its f ...

All-Newcomer Team. On December 6, 2020, he posted a senior season-high 32 points, nine assists and six rebounds in an 82–78 win against TCU. In the second round of the NCAA tournament, Reaves scored 27 points in an 87–71 loss to top-seeded

Gonzaga Gonzaga may refer to: Places * Gonzaga, Lombardy, commune in the province of Mantua, Italy * Gonzaga, Cagayan, municipality in the Philippines *Gonzaga, Minas Gerais, town in Brazil *Forte Gonzaga, fort in Messina, Sicily People with the surna ...

. As a senior, he averaged 18.4 points, 5.5 rebounds and 4.6 assists per game, earning First Team All-Big 12 honors. On March 31, Reaves declared for the

2021 NBA draft The 2021 NBA draft, the 75th edition of the National Basketball Association's annual draft, was held on July 29, 2021, at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. With the first overall pick, the Detroit Pistons selected Cade Cunningham. The NB ...

, forgoing his remaining college eligibility.

Professional career

Los Angeles Lakers (2021–present)

Reaves went

undrafted In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who is a ...

in the

after declining to be selected 42nd overall by the

Detroit Pistons The Detroit Pistons are an American professional basketball team based in Detroit. The Pistons compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division and play their home games at L ...

, opting instead to sign a

two-way contract A two-way contract is a professional sports contract that stipulates that an athlete's salary is dependent upon the league in which the athlete is assigned to play. This is opposed to a one-way contract that would pay the same salary regardless of ...

with the Los Angeles Lakers on August 3, 2021. On September 27, he was signed to a standard NBA contract. On October 22, Reaves made his NBA debut, scoring eight points off the bench in a 115–105 loss to the

Phoenix Suns The Phoenix Suns are an American professional basketball team based in Phoenix, Arizona. They compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA), as a member of the league's Western Conference (NBA), Western Conference Pacific Division (NBA), P ...

. On December 15, he scored 15 points, on 5-of-6 shooting from three, grabbed 7 rebounds, and hit a game-winning 3-pointer in a 107–104 victory over the

Dallas Mavericks The Dallas Mavericks (often referred to as the Mavs) are an American professional basketball team based in Dallas. The Mavericks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Western Conference Southwest Division. The ...

. During the Lakers' season finale on April 10, 2022, in a 146–141 overtime win over the

Denver Nuggets The Denver Nuggets are an American professional basketball team based in Denver. The Nuggets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Northwest Division. The team was founded as the D ...

, Reaves notched the first

triple-double In basketball, a double-double is a single-game performance in which a player accumulates ten or more in two of the following five statistical categories: points, rebounds, assists, steals, and blocked shots. The first "double" in the term ...

of his career, and put up career highs in rebounds, and assists, with 16 rebounds and 10 assists along with 31 points in 42 minutes. On March 19, 2023, Reaves scored a career-high 35 points with six rebounds and six assists off the bench in a 111–105 win against the

Orlando Magic The Orlando Magic are an American professional basketball team based in Orlando, Florida. The Magic compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Southeast Division. The franchise was estab ...

, in which he scored the final 10 points for the Lakers. On April 16, in game 1 of the first-round playoff series against the

Memphis Grizzlies The Memphis Grizzlies (referred to locally as the Grizz) are an American professional basketball team based in Memphis, Tennessee. The Grizzlies compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference ...

, the first NBA playoff game of his career, he scored 23 points in a 128–112 win. He matched that performance in game 4 of the same series, leading the Lakers in scoring in a 117–111 overtime victory. His successful rookie year led to him receiving the nicknames "Hillbilly Kobe", "White Kobe", and "AR-15", although Reaves himself publicly expressed dislike for such nicknames. On July 6, 2023, Reaves re-signed with the Los Angeles Lakers on a four-year, $54 million contract. He started the first eight games of the 2023–24 season for a streak of 34 consecutive starts, dating back to the 2022–23 regular season and playoffs, before coming off the bench for 15 points and seven assists against the Suns in the Lakers' first road win of the season. Austin Reeves

On December 9, 2023, Reaves and the Lakers won the inaugural season of the NBA In-Season Tournament. Reaves scored 28 points off the bench in the

championship game In sport, a championship is a competition in which the aim is to decide which individual or team is the champion. Championship systems Various forms of competition can be referred to by the term championship. Title match system In this system ...

against

Indiana Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th ...

. On January 31, 2024, Reaves put up a then season-high 28 points along with six assists and two steals in a 138-122 loss to the

Atlanta Hawks The Atlanta Hawks are an American professional basketball team based in Atlanta. The Hawks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Southeast Division. The team plays its home games at ...

. In his next game, on February 1, 2024, he put up 32 points on a career-high seven three-pointers made in a 114–105 win over the

Boston Celtics The Boston Celtics ( ) are an American professional basketball team based in Boston. The Celtics compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Atlantic Division. Founded in 1946 as one of ...

. In his next game on February 3, his first at

Madison Square Garden Madison Square Garden, colloquially known as The Garden or by its initials MSG, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in New York City. It is located in Midtown Manhattan between Seventh and Eighth avenues from 31st to 33rd Street, above Pennsyl ...

, Reaves provided 22 points, six rebounds, seven assists, and two blocks as the Los Angeles Lakers beat the

New York Knicks The New York Knickerbockers, shortened and more commonly referred to as the New York Knicks, are an American professional basketball team based in the New York City borough of Manhattan. The Knicks compete in the National Basketball Associa ...

113-105, including four free-throws down the stretch. Playing without

LeBron James LeBron Raymone James Sr. (; born December 30, 1984) is an American professional basketball player for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Nicknamed "King James", he is widely considered one of the greatest pl ...

on March 26 against the

Milwaukee Bucks The Milwaukee Bucks are an American professional basketball team based in Milwaukee. The Bucks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division. The team was founded in 1968 ...

, Reaves had a triple-double with 29 points, 14 rebounds, and 10 assists in a 128–124 road win in double overtime.

National team career

Reaves was selected to play on the 2023 U.S. national team for the

FIBA World Cup The FIBA Basketball World Cup, also known as the FIBA World Cup of Basketball or simply the FIBA World Cup, between 1950 and 2010 known as the FIBA World Championship, is an international basketball competition contested by the senior men's nat ...

. He was only the third undrafted player on a U.S. national team of NBA players, following Ben Wallace (2002) and Brad Miller (2006).

Career statistics

NBA

Regular season

, - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", L.A. Lakers , 61 , , 19 , , 23.2 , , .459 , , .317 , , .839 , , 3.2 , , 1.8 , , .5 , , .3 , , 7.3 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", L.A. Lakers , 64 , , 22 , , 28.8 , , .519 , , .383 , , .864 , , 3.0 , , 3.4 , , .5 , , .3, , 13.0 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 125 , , 41 , , 26.1 , , .501 , , .363 , , .856 , , 3.1 , , 2.6 , , .5 , , .3 , , 10.2

Play-in

, - , style="text-align:left;",

2023 Events Predicted and scheduled events * January 1 ** In the United States, books, films, and other works published in 1927 will enter the public domain, assuming there are no changes made to copyright law. ** Croatia will adopt the eu ...

, style="text-align:left;", L.A. Lakers , 1 , , 1 , , 39.4 , , .308 , , .200 , , 1.000 , , 6.0 , , 3.0 , , .0 , , .0 , , 12.0 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan=2, Career , 1 , , 1 , , 39.4 , , .308 , , .200 , , 1.000 , , 6.0 , , 3.0 , , .0 , , .0 , , 12.0

Playoffs

, - , style="text-align:left;",

, style="text-align:left;", L.A. Lakers , 16 , , 16 , , 36.2 , , .464 , , .443 , , .895 , , 4.4 , , 4.6 , , .6 , , .2 , , 16.9 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 16 , , 16 , , 36.2 , , .464 , , .443 , , .895 , , 4.4 , , 4.6 , , .6 , , .2 , , 16.9

College

, - , style="text-align:left;", 2016–17 , style="text-align:left;",

, 33 , , 0 , , 11.8 , , .448 , , .509 , , .757 , , 1.8 , , 1.1 , , .4 , , .3 , , 4.1 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2017–18 , style="text-align:left;",

, 33 , , 11 , , 21.5 , , .450 , , .425 , , .827 , , 3.1 , , 2.0 , , .5 , , .2 , , 8.1 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2018–19 , style="text-align:left;", Oklahoma , style="text-align:center;" colspan="11",

Redshirt Redshirt, Red Shirt, or Redshirts may refer to: Entertainment * ''Red Shirts'' (film), a 1952 film about Anita Garibaldi by Franco Rossi * Redshirt (stock character), originally derived from ''Star Trek'', a stock character who dies soon after b ...

, - , style="text-align:left;", 2019–20 , style="text-align:left;", Oklahoma , 31 , , 31 , , 33.2 , , .381 , , .259 , , .848 , , 5.3 , , 3.0 , , 1.0 , , .3 , , 14.7 , - , style="text-align:left;",

2020–21 The dash is a punctuation mark consisting of a long horizontal line. It is similar in appearance to the hyphen but is longer and sometimes higher from the baseline. The most common versions are the endash , generally longer than the hyphen ...

, style="text-align:left;", Oklahoma , 25 , , 25 , , 34.5 , , .443 , , .305 , , .865 , , 5.5 , , 4.6 , , .9 , , .3 , , 18.3 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 122 , , 67 , , 24.5 , , .421 , , .347 , , .844 , , 3.8 , , 2.6 , , .7 , , .3 , , 10.8

Off the court

Personal life

Reaves grew up a Los Angeles Lakers fan. Reaves is the son of Nicole Wilkett and Brian Reaves. Both of his parents played college basketball for

. His mother averaged 21.3 points per game and earned all-conference honors as a senior, while his father tied for third in program history with 384 career assists. Reaves' brother, Spencer, played college basketball for North Greenville and Central Missouri before embarking on a professional career with Juaristi ISB in Spain. As of 2023–24, Spencer is with Rasta Vechta in Germany. Reaves credits his brother for sparking his interest in basketball. Reaves' grandmother is German, which allowed him to obtain a German passport in 2022. In 2023, he expressed interest in playing for Germany's national team, but later joined the 2023 U.S. World Cup team.

Endorsements & Business Interests

Rigorer

In March 2023, Reaves signed a signature shoe deal with Chinese sports apparel brand Rigorer, whose shoes he wore through the 2022–23 season. The first shoe named "AR1" was released in August 2023 via sneaker marketplace Kicks Crew.

References

External links

Oklahoma Sooners bioWichita State Shockers bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Reaves, Austin 1998 births Living people American men's basketball players German men's basketball players Basketball players from Arkansas Los Angeles Lakers players Oklahoma Sooners men's basketball players People from Independence County, Arkansas Shooting guards Wichita State Shockers men's basketball players Undrafted National Basketball Association players American people of German descent 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup players United States men's national basketball team players