Austin Reaves

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.[8] 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.[9] On January 28, 2018, he posted a sophomore season-high 23 points and four assists in a 90–71 win over Tulsa. Reaves made seven three-pointers in the first half, the most in a half in program history.[10] As a sophomore, he averaged 8.1 points and 3.1 rebounds per game, shooting 42.5 percent from three-point range.[11]

After his sophomore season, Reaves transferred to Oklahoma and sat out the following season due to NCAA transfer rules. During his redshirt year, he weight trained and gained 20 pounds (9 kg).[12] 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.[13] As a redshirt junior, Reaves averaged 14.7 points, 5.3 rebounds and three assists per game and was named to the Big 12 All-Newcomer Team.[14] On December 6, 2020, he posted a senior season-high 32 points, nine assists and six rebounds in an 82–78 win against TCU.[15] In the second round of the NCAA tournament, Reaves scored 27 points in an 87–71 loss to top-seeded Gonzaga.[16] 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, forgoing his remaining college eligibility.[17]

Reaves went undrafted in the 2021 NBA draft after declining to be selected 42nd overall by the Detroit Pistons,[18] opting instead to sign a two-way contract with the Los Angeles Lakers on August 3, 2021.[19] On September 27, he was signed to a standard NBA contract.[20] On October 22, Reaves made his NBA debut, scoring eight points off the bench in a 115–105 loss to the Phoenix Suns.[21] 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.[22]

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, in which he scored the final 10 points for the Lakers.[23] 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" is set to release in May 2023.[24]

During the Lakers' season finale on April 10, 2022, in a 146–141 overtime win over the Denver Nuggets, Reaves notched the first triple-double of his career, and put up career highs in points, rebounds, and assists, with 31 points, 16 rebounds, and 10 assists in 42 minutes.[25] On April 16, 2023, in game 1 of the first-round playoff series against the Memphis Grizzlies, 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 nicknames that he wishes to distance himself from being "Hillbilly Kobe" and "AR-15".[26][27]

On July 6, 2023, Reaves re-signed with the Los Angeles Lakers.[28]