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Even though they’re no longer teammates, Lakers star guard Austin Reaves carries with him a major lesson he learned from LeBron James.
Reaves, who’s now the Lakers’ longest-tenured player after James’ departure for the 76ers as a free agent this offseason, was teammates with the league’s all-time leader scoring for five seasons (2021-26).
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James famously took Reaves under his wing after the Lakers signed the guard to a two-way contract after he went undrafted in 2021.
Only Anthony Davis played more games alongside LeBron James in a Lakers uniform than Austin Reaves. NBAE via Getty Images
Reaves signed a standard NBA contract with the Lakers just before the start of training camp entering the 2021-22 season.
Only Anthony Davis (296) played more combined regular season and playoff games as a teammate of James’ than Reaves (284) during James’ eight seasons in L.A.
The time Reaves and James spent as teammates allowed for Reaves to pick up on one of the key aspects of the NBA as he becomes the Lakers’ unquestioned co-star behind superstar guard Luka Doncic: The work that’s required to stay healthy and be available to your teammates for an entire season.
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“One of the biggest things I learned from LeBron was what he did every single day to give [himself] the opportunity to still play this game at the highest level,” Reaves said. “There’s a lot more that goes into it than the casual fan sees. You have to do more every single day, especially the older you get. He’s a perfect example of that.”
James’ longevity is unmatched.
LeBron James’ impact on Austin Reaves is present even though they aren’t teammates anymore. AP Photo/Chris Szagola
He holds the NBA’s records for most regular season games played (1,622), most playoff games appearances (302), most regular season minutes played (61,030) and most (12,446).
And James is still going, entering an unprecedented 24th NBA season after leading the Lakers to a first round playoff series victory over the Rockets in the spring.
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This is the kind of example that was set for Reaves for five years.
In the spirit of taking care of his body, Reaves will have…
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Publish date : 2026-09-29 18:10:00
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