“Death Was Around the Corner”: Austin Reaves Recalls “Flu Game” During Lakers’ In-Season Tournament Final

Austin Reaves was in a feverish mess on the day of the In-Season tournament finals game. His body was wracked with chills and nausea, his teammates fretted, and even the most optimistic fans must have harbored doubts. But Reaves had other plans, and he put on a historic individual performance, something that’s synonymous with Michael Jordan’s “flu game” tale. 

Reaves displayed a superstar-level prowess just like MJ did decades ago. However, the game wasn’t easy to play and recently Reaves revealed on ‘JJ Redick’ podcast what it was like to be on the court when he was under the weather. 

Reaves recalls the flu game 

“I was in bed from 10 to 2, feeling like death was around the corner,” confessed Austin Reaves. There was even a point when he thought he would not be able to play. But Reaves decided to push the illness to get through it all. Playing the game was a struggle. “Whole time before the game, catching the ball hurt, everything hurt,” he said. 

However, once the game started, he overcame his physical discomfort and delivered an outstanding performance. “And then got some activation. I was moving slow, felt slow, and then the game happened and I played well.”

Reaves scored 28 points, grabbed 2 rebounds, and made 3 assists after playing for 28 minutes. He channelized Jordan and contributed to the Lakers’ early dominance in the game. Reaves scored 22 of his total points in the first half for an early lead.

His flu game performance had LeBron James shout to the media, “Who had the better flu game? AR or MJ? It’s a debate!”. MJ’s iconic flu game dates back to the 1997 NBA finals against the Utah Jazz. He amassed 38 points, 5 assists, 7 rebounds, and 3 steals. So clearly, it’s not up for debate who had the better game but Reaves outshined on probably the biggest game of his career, even during sickness. 

READ MORE: “We Got to Focus On the Season”: Austin Reaves Urges the Lakers to Focus On Raising a Different Banner After In-Season Victory

25-year-old Reaves is emerging as a sixth man of the year candidate from the Lakers bench. He is averaging 15.2 points, grabbing 4.6 rebounds, and making 5.1 assists per outing.

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What do you think about Austin Reaves’ flu game performance? Let us know in the comments below!