Austin Reaves appreciates LeBron James as he helps lead Team USA to victory in front of his family: "That's my guy"
Austin Reaves and Team USA showed out during their first 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup exhibition game against Puerto Rico on Monday. After a slow start, the U.S. cruised to a 117-74 blowout victory behind a 67-31 scoring run across the final 20 minutes of the game.
They did so behind a team-high 15 points apiece from star shooting guard Anthony Edwards and sharpshooting forward Cameron Johnson. Meanwhile, Reaves chipped in nine points, four rebounds and four assists on 50.0% shooting, with all nine of his points coming in the first half.
Reaves’ strong Team USA debut earned him the approval of many, including his LA Lakers teammate, LeBron James:
“A-R you so COLD man!!! #TeamUSA,” James tweeted.
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#TeamUSA
twitter.com/i/web/status/1…A-R you so COLD man!!! 🫡🙏🏾👑 #TeamUSA🇺🇸 twitter.com/i/web/status/1…
Following the game, Reaves, surrounded by adoring family members and fans, was asked what he thought about receiving support from his star teammate.
The Lakers shooting guard then expressed his appreciation for James’ constant encouragement and mentorship over the past two years:
“Yeah, that’s my guy,” Reaves said.
“You know, I’ve learned a lot from him over the past two years and it feels good when he kind of validates that you can actually play. So, it’s been a special two years and hopefully, we can go win a championship this year.”
Austin Reaves on LeBron's tweet pic.twitter.com/1mqHfudyPK
Austin Reaves on his Team USA experience so far
During his postgame interview on Monday, Austin Reaves was also asked about his biggest takeaways from his Team USA experience so far.
Reaves spoke about how quickly the team has been able to come together and build chemistry. He then added that the team now needs to continue to improve as they get set for the start of the FIBA World Cup on Aug. 25:
“A lot, honestly, and I feel like we’ve gelled really fast as a team, and I think it shows in the way we play the game,” Reaves said.
“You know, that’s gonna continue to grow as far as we go, and that’s really the main thing. We know we have a lot of talent and we know we can do a lot of great things offensively and defensively. But it’s all about becoming one unit and just going and playing for one another.”
Following their exhibition victory over Puerto Rico, Team USA will next take on Slovenia on Saturday in the second of their five exhibition matchups.
Watch: Austin Reaves knocks down a 3 as he checks in in front of two of his aunts