LeBron James praises Austin Reaves on Twitter after career-high performance vs. Magic

Lakers Austin Reaves was left stunned after LeBron James showed immense admiration for him after his career-best 35 point display that led the Los Angeles side to victory this past Sunday night. 

Well, of course the all-time highest scorer in the league’s history would be impressed by the shooting guard last night, as Reaves was the best player on court vs. Orlando. He did not only top score the Lakers, but also dropped in their last 10 points as they defeated the Magic 111-105 and moved them into a tie for the 9th position (35-37) in the Western Conference.

The 24-year-old made his powerful contribution in 30 minutes of play even though we was not a starter for his squad, becoming only the seventh player in franchise history to hit 35 points or more after coming off the bench.

In general, the Los Angeles substitutes put out more than half of their points this Sunday (61 out of 111), but it was Reaves who truly deserved the spotlight. LeBron, who’s still hurting his right foot and missed his 11th consecutive match last night, had an inspiring message for Reaves on his Twitter account.

AR YOU A BAD MUTHA…SHUT YO MOUTH!!! You toooooo TOUGH!! 🔥🔥🔥🫡👑

— LeBron James (@KingJames) March 20, 2023

The young guard was lost for words after a reporter asked him about what he felt about the four-time MVP’s praise on social media. “You’re talking about arguably one of the greatest players ever,” he responded first. “I mean I don’t know what to say.

“For him to accept me the way he accepted me from day one, obviously I felt there was a really good chemistry, IQ-wise, from day one. But not just him, everybody else.”

The rest of the Lakers squad also showed their appreciation for Reaves

James wasn’t the only star who thanked Reaves for his performance, as Anthony Davis, who also provided the Lakers with 15 points, 11 rebounds and 4 blocks, admitted that he carried the team to victory.

“He carried us tonight with his play,” Davis said after the match. “We know what we have in Austin. He’s very confident and he played that way tonight.”

As the contest was coming to an end, the crowd at the Crypto.com Arena started chanting “M-V-P” to the 24-year-old as he had an impactful display in the last quarter. “For them to recognise what I do – obviously not an MVP-calibre player, those guys are really good – but for them to do that for me is special, it means a lot to me,” Reaves blushed as he thanked the fans.

Besides his all-time career high in points, the shooting guard also registered 6 rebounds and 6 assists last night. Check out his highlights from one of his best games of his young career:

About his mentality before the game, Reaves talks about sacrifice. “Every time I take the court, play with a sense of urgency and leave it all out on the floor, because that’s how I feel basketball should be played.”

The young shooting guard is averaging 11.6 points, 2.9 rebounds and 2.8 assists per match this campaign, as he has also recorded double-digit scores in the Lakers’ past eight contest, averaging 15.9 points just during the month of March.