In the last few decades, golf has come out as a favorite pastime of several NBA players. From Michael Jordan taking his competitive spirit out to the green pasture as well as Stephen Curry securing records and winning golf tournaments, this sport has been the love of many. With the annual American Century Championship making a return, many celebrities have now reached the location to try their luck out. As a renowned Lakers star was making waves, an unfortunate caused him to be on the receiving end of some criticism.

Yesterday, point guard Austin Reaves was captured participating in the annual ACC Championship being held in Nevada. While signing autographs, the star’s attention went towards a young fan donning a ‘Klay Thompson Warriors’ jersey. It didn’t take long for Reaves to blurt out “You might have to throw that jersey in the lake”, causing everyone else around him to let out a laugh. Later on, however, he assured his liking for Thompson by stating “I love Klay.”

While the people around him appreciated the humor, the name couldn’t have been said for fans on social media once the clip went viral. One fan took it personally that Reaves asked for the Klay Thompson jersey to be thrown away. Calling him out to be a “loser”, the fan was certainly not kind with his remarks.

Klay Thompson’s name is a bit of a sore subject for several NBA fans at the moment. For one, he recently ended his 13-year run with the Warriors after no mutual agreements could be reached about an extension. This gave the Los Angeles Lakers the perfect opportunity to acquire the player. Lead scorer LeBron James even agreed to take a cut in his annual pay if the four-time champion would join their roster. Unfortunately, Thompson decided to team up with the Dallas Mavericks.

Austin Reaves’ remarks may reference the fact that the jersey is useless since Thompson would be donning the Mavericks’ blue one now. Or, he may still hold up the fact that the player did not partner up with them. Either way, the commenter was not happy. As it turns out, he wasn’t the only one.

Fans react to Austin Reaves’ “Throw that jersey in the lake” remark

Just like the above-mentioned user, others did not shy away from making their criticism about the Lakers player known. One of them highlighted how Thompson’s contribution to the sport of basketball and his overall achievements highly outweigh that of Reaves. This led him to conclude that while the former Warriors player may be his own identity, Reaves is just “a mere speck” in the NBA world.

In the 13 years that Klay Thompson has been a part of the NBA, he has secured four championship rings, five All-Star titles, and set numerous offensive records to his name. Furthermore, he has also earned a spot on the All-NBA Third Team on two consecutive occasions. In comparison, Austin Reaves, who has been in the NBA for only three years, has yet to achieve any of the things to his name.

Another social media user attempted to show respect for the jersey. Looking a little way down the road, he highlighted his belief that Thompson’s jersey will not only be retired one day, it will also be a memorable part of the Basketball Hall of Fame. The same, however, may not be said about Reaves. At least not yet.

Thanks to a recent update, one part of that prediction won’t take too long to morph into reality. In an official statement released on the 1 of July, the Warriors declared that Klay Thompson’s iconic #11 jersey will be retired by the franchise soon. This honor will be bestowed upon the player to commemorate his decades-long contribution to the team. Not only did this assure that no friction exists between the Warriors and Thompson over the latter’s exit, but that the franchise won’t let the player leave without declaring him as one of their best.

One user took a shot at Austin Reaves’s skills as a basketball player. He insinuated that someone should have suggested throwing the Lakers player in the lake, but the same would have caused the latter to be awarded free throws due to a foul.

According to a report released by ‘Silver Screen and Roll’ and ‘Cleaning the Glass’ in August 2023, Austin Reaves possessed the highest shooting-fouled percentage out of any other NBA player who has recorded at least 1000 minutes. This means that 20.7% of Reaves’ shot attempts resulted in a shooting foul. This was a rate higher than the one possessed by Luka Dončić, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, James Harden, and Trae Young. While the reason for Reaves drawing so many calls is not known, it is apparent that the same has now become something for which he is liable to receive criticism.

One individual took the fight a step ahead and criticized not only Reaves but the innocent fan as well. The commenter felt offended that the person donning the jersey simply laughed after Reaves made his remark.

In the fan’s defense, it’s not every day that people receive the opportunity to get star-struck through an NBA player.

Overall, a majority of the reactions possessed a negative opinion about Austin Reaves. Therefore, if he wishes to live this down, he better start earning some rings soon.

Before leaving, be sure to check out some insights that Shaquille O’Neal’s ex-agent, Leonard Armato, shared about the Lakers legend’s infamous feud with the late Kobe Bryant.