Austin Reaves

Reaves was born in Newark, Arkansas, into an athletic family. His parents, Nicole Wilkett and Brian Reaves, both played college basketball at Arkansas State. His mother was an all-conference forward who averaged more than 20 points per game in her final season, while his father played point guard and finished among the top career assist leaders in program history. His older brother, Spencer Reaves, also played college basketball before launching a professional playing career in Europe.

Reaves grew up supporting the Los Angeles Lakers. Through his German grandmother, he obtained a German passport in 2022 and initially considered representing Germany internationally before ultimately competing for the United States.

At Cedar Ridge High School in Newark, Reaves won back-to-back Class 2A state championships during his first two seasons playing alongside his brother. In his senior year, he averaged 32.5 points, 8.8 rebounds, and 5.1 assists per game, leading the team to a Class 3A state title and earning state tournament MVP honors after averaging 43.3 points over four tournament games. During high school, he also scored 73 points in a triple-overtime game against Forrest City.

Reaves committed to Wichita State, where he played from 2016 to 2018 despite battling shoulder injuries that required surgeries on both labrums. As a sophomore, he set a program record by making seven three-pointers in a single half against Tulsa. He transferred to the University of Oklahoma in 2018, sitting out one season as a redshirt before playing two seasons for the Sooners. In his senior year, Reaves averaged 18.4 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 4.6 assists per game, earning first-team All-Big 12 honors before declaring for the professional ranks.

After going unselected in the 2021 NBA draft, Reaves declined an opportunity to be drafted in the second round by the Detroit Pistons in order to pursue a two-way deal with the Los Angeles Lakers. The Lakers converted his deal to a standard contract before the start of the 2021-22 season. He made his debut in October 2021 and concluded his rookie campaign by recording a 31-point triple-double with 16 rebounds and 10 assists in an overtime victory against the Denver Nuggets.

During the 2023 postseason, Reaves scored 23 points in his playoff debut against the Memphis Grizzlies. In December 2023, he helped Los Angeles capture the inaugural NBA In-Season Tournament title, scoring 28 points off the bench in the championship game against the Indiana Pacers. Reaves went on to establish multiple scoring milestones for the franchise, including becoming one of the few Lakers in team history to post at least 45 points, seven rebounds, and seven assists in a single game.

Reaves made his senior international debut in 2023 after being selected to the United States national team for the FIBA Basketball World Cup. In doing so, he became only the third undrafted NBA player to represent the senior US national team, following Ben Wallace and Brad Miller.

Off the court, Reaves signed a signature athletic footwear deal with the sports apparel brand Rigorer, debuting his first signature shoe, the AR1, in August 2023.