Three years ago, Austin Reaves wasn’t even sure if he would make it to the NBA. Now, he’s the starting shooting guard for the Los Angeles Lakers and gets to play with LeBron James.
Reaves has worked his way up the pecking order. His work ethic, confidence, and determination to get better every single day have made him a fan favorite in Southern California.
But as good as his season was, he was still shocked to see that Grant Hill called him to join Golden State Warriors’ coach Steve Kerr and represent Team USA in the FIBA World Cup.
Austin Reaves Was Shocked Team USA Wanted Him
(Via Lakers Daily)
“He was like, ‘You’re not going to believe this,'” Reaves told the Southern California News Group over the phone this week.
The message: Grant Hill, the managing director of the USA Basketball men’s national team, reached out to offer Reaves a spot on the 12-player Team USA roster for the 2023 FIBA World Cup, which the U.S. will kick off with a first-round matchup against New Zealand on Saturday (5:40 a.m. PT) in the Philippines.
“I was just kind of shocked [at] the moment,” Reaves said. “I didn’t see it coming. I was confident in what I could do basketball-wise but it was something kind of caught me off-guard.”
Reaves is quite down to Earth and he’s still soaking in all this new-found fame. But judging by the way we’ve seen him in the World Cup, that hasn’t taken a toll on his game whatsoever.
