Obviously, my heart has been heavy this past week so this Xmas wasn’t my normal onslaught of NBA Xmas hoops binge watching.
But I did watch the fourth period of the NY Knicks scintillating win over Wemby’s Spurs as Mical Bridges put on his Superman cape and showed the hoops world what’s he capable of here and there.
For me that set the tone for the only Xmas Day game I watched for all four quarters…that being the Lakers’ stunning win at Golden State as AR slayed Steph. Granted, Austin did get some help from LeBron, but at the end when it mattered most it was AR who one-upped Steph on his home court and basically showed the Steph era is coming to an end.
I love Austin Reaves. What he stands for in this era of pampered, spoiled NBA superstars gives me hope. I knew what this kid has because I watched him closely during his two years in Norman playing for Lon Kruger.
As Mike Breen and Doris Burke accurately gushed, ‘He’s this generation’s Manu Ginobli.” Bingo.
When LeBron starts calling some white kid from Arkansas who went undrafted out of OU…’AR’, you know, some serious white boy ballin’ is going on.
Again, I love Austin Reaves. I love what he stands for. He made Big 12 First Team his senior season at OU when that conference still had basketball fangs. He outplayed Gonzaga’s Jalen Suggs in the second round of the NCAA Tournament that spring. And, yet, he went undrafted in both rounds of that summer’s NBA draft.
Austin didn’t flinch. His belief in himself never wavered. He said, “F–k it…I’m an NBA player.”
Then he went out and proved it by making the Lakers’ squad as an undrafted free agent.
And what makes this story even sweeter for me is that Russell Westbrook and LeBron took this kid under their protective superstar wings and encouraged Austin to become the Manu Ginobli of this NBA generation.
It was a tough week for our family. Brutally tough.
But it just goes to show you…if you do things the right way—things always turn your way in the end.
Austin Reaves, thank you for the wonderful Christmas present. Don’t ever lose sight of who you are and how you got to this juncture in your journey. Trust me…it’s all about the journey, young man.
Mike J