Austin Reaves’ rise in the NBA has been nothing short of extraordinary. In just four years, he has gone from being undrafted out of Oklahoma to becoming one of the most important members of the Los Angeles Lakers. Put simply, what once looked like a story of another overlooked prospect has turned into one of the league’s most compelling journeys.

Interestingly, while AR might be viewed as arguably the most reliable third option on a team in today’s time, his confidence did not build overnight; instead, he received such humblings during his early years from LeBron James that he was pissed at the reality of not being anywhere close to that level.

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Reaves was pissed after getting humbled by James

When Reaves came into the league during the 2021-22 season, his scoring arsenal wasn’t as polished as it is today. As a result, he mostly came off the bench and received 23.2 minutes over his 61 appearances, managing to average just 7.2 points per game. Being one of the many young talents on the team, he was shown no mercy by LeBron during team practices, as the four-time MVP hit one fadeaway over the other to make Reaves realize what it takes to play at an elite level in the NBA.

Reflecting on that ‘welcome to his NBA moment’ in a recent interview, AR admitted how eye-opening it was to realize the difference between him and one of the greatest players in basketball history.

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“The only time I ever thought I didn’t belong on the basketball court was, it was in training camp actually, we were just playing and Bron was being Bron, and I was just kinda like, ‘I don’t know if I can play to this standard,’” Reaves recalled. “He hit like four baseline fadeaways, and I was just, ‘Alright, there’s nothing I can do. It pissed me off (but) it’s LeBron.”

Reaves used that experience as fuel to get better

Those humbling moments, however, proved to be the turning point for ‘Hillbilly Kobe.’ Instead of dwelling on his shortcomings, he used that frustration as motivation. Though he averaged 7.3 points and 1.8 assists per game in his rookie season, Reaves never sulked and put his head down. Instead, he committed to working relentlessly hard to improve his craft. As a result, in the recently concluded 2024-25 season, Reaves’ averages of 20.2 points and 5.8 assists per game helped the Purple and Gold attain the third seed in the tightly-contested Western Conference.

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Safe to say that this transformation is a testament to his resilience. What began with an embarrassing introduction to LeBron’s greatness has evolved into Reaves emerging as a lethal two-way force, capable of unhesitatingly making game-winning plays on both ends of the court.

Four years later, Reaves isn’t just viewed as a central figure that can help the Lakers win their elusive 18th championship ring, but someone who can be the ideal ‘Robin’ to Luka Doncic in the post-LeBron James era.

From a humbling start to being a certified starter on one of the biggest franchises in the NBA, Reaves has showcased how resilience and unshakable belief can help turn setbacks into stepping stones towards greatness.

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This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Sep 21, 2025, where it first appeared in the Latest News section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.