The dynamic within the locker room is almost as important to a team’s success as the dynamic on the court. The Los Angeles Lakers are the best example of this, especially after the hilarious exchange between Austin Reaves and Luka Doncic at the Thanksgiving gathering between the team and a group of young fans.
Doncic’s arrival midway through last season is starting to pay off. The Lakers are second in the Western Conference with a 12-4 record and are one of the teams to beat in the Cup.
However, although Doncic often steals the spotlight, the team wouldn’t be the same without Reaves. Not only his 27.9 points per game, but his energy on the court and in the locker room make him an indispensable piece in the machine that head coach J.J. Redick has assembled.
His relationship with Luka is also proving vital to the team. The Lakers’ rising stars are a lethal duo on the court and seem like brothers off it… rather dysfunctional brothers.
The strange but hilarious relationship between Luka and Austin
At a recent Thanksgiving gathering with a group of children, Reaves and Doncic stole the show. Not only because they are the team’s stars, but because of the way they treat-or mistreat-each other.
At one point during the celebration, a group of kids surrounded Reaves. “Y’all know who that is?” the star guard asked, pointing at Doncic. The Slovenian tried to ask, in turn, “Do you guys like him?”
However, his response was overshadowed when Austin finished with, “My least favorite teammate,” provoking laughter from the boys and a resigned gesture from Luka. The video of the prank went viral, not only because of the joke itself, but also because of AR’s “revenge.”
Austin had been waiting for his revenge from Luka for weeks
Doncic has been consistently bantering with Reaves almost since he joined the team. Back in training camp, the Slovenian declared that AR was his “least favorite teammate,” calling him “very childish.”
Later, he also stated that Reaves “wants to be friends, but I’m not allowing it,” asserting that there was nothing Austin could do to remedy that.
Therefore, now that he had the opportunity, Reaves not only returned the favor to Doncic, but he did it in front of a bunch of kids who adore them both and who won’t soon forget the childish dynamic between two of their favorite players.
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