Austin Reaves' Emotional 4-Word Message to LeBron James Shows Their True Relationship

For the past five seasons, Austin Reaves and LeBron James have been a familiar pairing in Los Angeles. Since Reaves went undrafted and joined the Lakers in 2021, LeBron has been more than a teammate. He has also been a mentor.

That changes this season. After LeBron left LA for the Philadelphia 76ers in July, Reaves is entering his first season without the King by his side.

In an edited video created by Speak Context on X, the social media user posted several clips of James and Reaves together. At the start of the clip, AR played golf with LeBron and his son, Bronny James, earlier this summer. Reaves expressed how much he's going to miss LeBron, dropping an emotional four-word message as he stood next to him.

"Could still be together," Reaves said while taking a picture with LeBron and Bronny on the golf course.

After AR made his statement, he hugged Bron, showing the brotherhood he's established with him over the past five years.

Looking back earlier this summer, it seemed that Reaves was in awe when James decided to move to Philly.

"I don't know if I've honestly processed it yet," Reaves said in an interview. "Starting a season without him being on the team, it's going to be different for me. It's kind of all I've ever known is him being around, joking around, acting like he's 15. But, you know, that's his decision."

With LeBron no longer with the Lakers, it'll be interesting to see how differently Reaves will play. While Luka Doncic is currently considered LA's captain, AR has undoubtedly taken on a bigger role as one of the team's top guys.

Lakers GM Discusses Austin Reaves' Future Without LeBron James

With LeBron James no longer by his side, Austin Reaves is heading into a new chapter of his Lakers career. Some have questioned whether playing alongside LeBron can limit a teammate's growth, but Reaves' career has told a different story.

Since his rookie season in 2021-22, Reaves has improved his production almost every year. He went from averaging 7.3 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 1.8 assists as a rookie to posting career highs of 23.3 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 1.1 steals last season.

But with LeBron gone, the question on everyone's mind is: how will Reaves perform next to Luka Doncic as his new alpha? In an interview with Spectrum Sportsnet, Los Angeles Lakers general manager Rob Pelink set his expectations for AR.

"One of the things we talked to Austin about is like, what does it mean once you're a max-level player?" Pelinka said. "What new responsibilities come your way with that leadership and showing others by example, like how to get better?"

"So he's got a whole tool chest of new things that he's gotta improve on and work at to be a great leader," Pelinka continued. "That's something he and I and JJ (Redick) talked about. He embraces that challenge, and I think not only will we see continued growth in his basketball game, but I think we'll see really strong growth in his leadership skills."

Reaves signed a max four-year deal worth $184.7 million. Being paid that amount means the Lakers organization trusts him to carry the load left by LeBron.