Austin Reaves avenged Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James when he taunted former teammate Patrick Beverley with the “too small” gesture in their 121-110 victory over the Chicago Bulls on Wednesday. The revenge took place after Beverley did the same to James on Sunday.
Following Wednesday’s contest, the four-time MVP addressed Reaves having his back. But he couldn’t help but bring up the shooting guard’s decades-old Facebook post mocking him.
Kobe over Bron
Apparently, back in 2012, Reaves posted a meme that used an image of Kobe Bryant shrugging to mock James being ringless. At the time, the Arkansas native was still in his early teens, so he likely didn’t know he would eventually be on the same squad with LeBron.
Moreover, Reaves has been vocal about his love for Bryant, naming the late Lakers legend his favorite player of all time several months ago. He was even nicknamed “Hillbilly Kobe,” a moniker that has stuck since college. And if you’re curious who Reaves favorite active player is, it’s also not LeBron but Joe Ingles.
Even so, it’s clear that James is appreciative of the second-year pro, who has been instrumental in L.A.’s rise in the standings in recent weeks. Now, the 19-time All-Star has another reason to be thankful for Reaves.
All in good fun
It should be noted that Beverley was the one who started the trash talk with the Lakers. After the franchise shipped him to the Orlando Magic at the trade deadline, the pesky guard has regularly mentioned his former team, from saying that he wants to knock them out of the playoffs to indirectly calling the Lakers soft.
On Sunday, Beverley backed up his talk by helping the Bulls secure a 118-108 win over Los Angeles. Fortunately for him, he got the chance to troll LeBron.
But Wednesday saw the Purple and Gold gain the last laugh after defeating Chicago behind exceptional performances from James, Reaves, and Anthony Davis. Also, Reaves made sure to get back at Pat Bev late in the game.
The 24-year-old said it wasn’t planned and that he still has a good relationship with the former Laker.
“It wasn’t something I thought about doing all game,” Reaves said. “But I felt like right time, right situation. Me and Pat [have] a good relationship. I respect him. It’s just me competing.”
Furthermore, it wasn’t as if the Lakers had targeted Pat Bev on Wednesday. They were likely more focused on leaving Chicago with a victory to gain ground in the Western Conference postseason picture. Due to the win, they are back at .500 and now hold the No. 8 spot in the West.
