Despite Playing with LeBron James and Idolizing Kobe Bryant, Lakers? Star Names Unlikely NBA Player as His Inspiration

The five-time champion and 18x All-Star Kobe Bryant has changed the game of basketball in the last years 25 years. Countless players have grown up idolizing the?Black Mamba and his signature moves(that were stolen from Michael Jordan, according to His Airness himself). This was also the case for a young Los Angeles Lakers star, who has been making headlines recently. After showering adulations on his idol, the budding star also revealed an unlikely source of inspiration that might surprise fans.

Austin Reaves has been playing brilliantly for the Lakers the past couple of weeks and recently took his time out to appear on a podcast. During the show, the Lakers guard spilled some beans and admitted that he is inspired by a certain player of the Milwaukee Bucks.

Austin Reaves names an unlikely inspiration

In the latest episode of the Point Forward podcast, Reaves joined host Evan Turner and talked about a myriad of fascinating things. During the podcast, Turner asked him who were the people he looked up to when he watched the game. The now 24-year-old replied by saying that when he was young, he was a fan of Kobe Bryant?and always dreamt of meeting him someday. Moreover, he added that he was heartbroken after not being able to meet Bryant before he tragically passed away in January 2020.

Subsequently, the Los Angeles Lakers guard proceeded to take the name of another player he admires. “I really like Joe Ingles,” Reaves said. This revelation brought a smile to the host’s face. Reaves continued, “You know he[Ingles] figures it out. He can do multiple things – he can play make, he can make shots, he’s pesky on the defensive end, and he talks a lot of trash.”

“He’s not scared of the moment. He likes big time moments,” Reaves added.

The 24-year-old ?was full of praise for Ingles and his string of words showcased how much he admires the Bucks forward. However, this was not the only time when he expressed that the Australian was his favorite player. In a 2022 Instagram video with Nick Barrotta and Owyn, the Lakers guard said he really likes the 2021 NBA Sixth Man of the Year runner-up.

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Reaves bought LeBron James an Xbox controller

In the same podcast, Reaves revealed that he had to buy the four-time champion an Xbox controller. This purchase was a part of the rookie duties that he had to perform on the Lakers. He said, “Bron?s[LeBron James] actually really low-maintenance. I think he asked me one time to go get an Xbox remote, so I obviously did that…” Reaves?also disclosed that not only James but Rajon Rondo also asked him to perform similar tasks.

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What are your thoughts on Austin Reaves admiring Joe Ingles? Let us know in the comments below.