Austin Reaves has been a good addition to the Los Angeles Lakers since 2021. The 24-year-old went undrafted in the 2021 NBA Draft, however, he finds himself playing for the Lakers. In just his 2nd season in the NBA, Reaves has drastically improved his game since last season. In the last couple of games, Reaves has contributed heavily to the team. With the last couple of games remaining in the regular season, the Lakers will be hoping he continues his form.
Reaves started life in the Lakers as a backup player, however, this season he is proving why he deserves to be with them. He had a career-high game against the Orlando Magic and dropped 35 points to secure the win for the Lakers. With some stunning displays by the forward he is attracting the spotlight, which means people are about to notice his personal life. Today we will take a look at his parents, Brian Reaves and Nicole Wilkett.
Austin Reaves gets “MVP” chants from Lakers crowd
He finished with 25 PTS and a career-high 11 AST 👏 pic.twitter.com/x5NvtRCl2i
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) March 23, 2023
Austin was born on May 29, 1998, to Brian and Nicole in Newark, Arkansas, America. Brian and Nicole have two sons, of which their elder son is Spencer Reaves. Spencer is playing in the German league and plays for Brose Bamberg.
Unlike his younger brother, he has played professionally in Europe since 2018 after graduating from the University of Central Missouri. Austin has often credited his elder brother Spencer for inspiring him to play professional basketball.
Did Austin Reaves’ parents play basketball?
The Reaves family is all about basketball. Spencer and Austin are both blessed to be born into a basketball family. Brian and Nicole played basketball at the collegiate level in their days. Both Brian and Nicole attended Arkansas State University. Brian played as a point guard from 1989-93, and still holds the 3rd rank in career assists with 384. He played with his sons while growing up and recalls both of them being competitive.
Austin Reaves’ parents Nicole Wilkett and Brian Reaves.
Brian Reaves was a point guard at Arkansas State from 1989-93, holding a 3rd place assist record in the college’s history. Nicole Wilkett was an all-conference forward for Arkansas State in 1990-92 during her senior year. pic.twitter.com/Uo5kUrI4qL
— SportsLegit Inc (@SportsLegitInc) March 12, 2023
Nicole also played for Arkansas State and was an All-Conference forward for the University from 1990-92. She averaged 21.3 points per game in a senior game, which is a pretty good average. After Brian and Nicole finished college, they started farming on a 300-acre farm, where Austin and Spencer would grow up.
With both parents having basketball knowledge, Austin was one day destined to choose basketball as a professional career. To this day, Austin’s parents still guide him through his game, even on days when he plays a great game.