Lakers shooting guard Austin Reaves has added his voice to the ongoing debate about basketball’s GOAT. In a recent interview on SiriusXM NBA Radio, the 25-year-old player, who has been James’ teammate for two years, expressed his admiration for the superstar, branding him as the greatest player to ever play the game.
Reaves, despite his personal affinity for Kobe Bryant, left no room for doubt about his sentiments. “I will start off by saying in my personal opinion even being a Kobe-guy, I think he is the greatest player that ever played,” Reaves stated.
He highlighted James’ unparalleled prowess in all facets of the game, asserting that no other player has excelled at such a diverse range of skills. “I think the way that how good he is in all facets of the game, I don’t think anybody’s been that good at everything. I think he’s the greatest player ever.”
The admiration wasn’t limited to James’ on-court brilliance. Reaves also praised their off-court camaraderie and mutual respect. “Just to have someone like that, not even basketball-wise just to be able to say that I can pick up the phone and call him whenever… I think that he would do whatever.”
Their synergy on the court, as described by Reaves, is built on a strong basketball IQ and an innate understanding of each other’s movements.
“We connected early on like, IQ-level, just playing the game the right way. We always had that kind of feel, the natural basketball feel playing with each other just because we always kind of knew where each other would be.”
