The FIBA World Cup 2023 stands as a testing ground for Team USA this time around. Despite a dominant start, Lithuania handed the young squad comprising the likes of Anthony Edwards, their first loss. Later, it came into the limelight that the family member of a USA star Austin Reaves might have a role in that.

A family member of the 25-year-old allegedly betrayed the country, handing in an advantage for the opposition. Interestingly enough, the Los Angeles Lakers star became the target of the antics.

The controversy surrounding Austin Reaves and his family

Team USA fell short by 6 points to Lithuania in the second round as Vaidas Kariniauskas stole the show for the victors. Alongside dropping 15 points for his team, he caused major headaches for USA defenders, particularly for Reaves. In one possession, he scored a baseline jumper on the shooting guard and wrapped it up with a Michael Jordan-esque tongue gesture.

After the match, Kariniauskas revealed the reason behind it, citing Austin’s brother as his influence. Vaidas once shared a dressing room with his older brother. So when the former teammate told the Lithuanian point guard, “Give [Austin] a trash talk,” he obliged.

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It worked as Hilbury Kobe struggled throughout the game. Playing 13 minutes, he only registered 1-of-4 field goal. His time on the court turned miserable as he failed to get a single rebound, steal or assist. This makes us question one thing.

Can he bounce back?

In a team of youngsters, the coaching unit views him as a rotation player. He has been effectively coming off the bench, since Team USA’s exhibition matches. He has silenced all the doubters in the past two seasons in the NBA.

The resilience he has displayed, especially in the last season, has been rewarded by his franchise too. So, his quality is never in question. The only thing is how impactful he can remain for the remainder of the tournament after coming on as a substitute.

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Reaves’ older brother indirectly gave him a tough lesson, but he must not have imagined the USA losing to Lithuania in the World Cup. Maybe he chose the wrong time to educate his brother, or maybe his lessons came at the right time. That’s for Austin to determine.