LeBron James forgives Austin Reaves for liking Kobe Bryant more

Mar 30, 2023 - 3:24 PM

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On the heels of a big win to start the road trip for the Lakers on Wednesday, LeBron James certainly was in a jovial mood in the locker room. The moment that fans loved most near the conclusion of the game was Austin Reaves dropping the “too small” gesture on Patrick Beverley in a sweet bit of revenge.

It was Pat Bev who hit LeBron with the same gesture in Sunday’s game between the two sides and LeBron had plenty of praise for Reaves for avenging him.

Reaves has been outspoken about his Kobe Bryant fandom. Obviously, he donned the nickname Hillbilly Kobe when he first entered the league. Predating his days in the league, his grandmother raised him as a Kobe fan growing up, so the roots are there.

But Reaves wasn’t the only one on the receiving end of some laughter and jokes postgame. After watching Anthony Davis dominate to the tune of 38 points and 10 rebounds with 14 of those coming in the fourth quarter, LeBron talked about what he needed to do to get that kind of performance out of Davis.

Perhaps this is LeBron’s version of Kobe telling Pau Gasol to put his big-boy pants on, just in a softer, more LeBron-esque tone. A “kick in the a--” perhaps is the modern-day equivalent of that comment.

Regardless, it was a happy LeBron after he himself looked sprier than his return to the lineup on Sunday. Despite being on a minutes restriction and not finishing the game, LeBron finished with 25 points on 10-19 shooting and did so in style in the fourth quarter, helping the Lakers extend their lead.

In total, it was a much more enjoyable night than Sunday and hopefully a good sign of the season-defining road trip the Lakers are embarking upon.

You can follow Jacob on Twitter at @JacobRude.