LeBron James Serenades Austin Reaves For Recording Stat Line Even He Couldn't in 7 Years with Lakers

LeBron James celebrated Austin Reaves' historic night on social media after the short-handed LA Lakers defeated the Sacramento Kings. Reaves dropped a stat line that even James has never accomplished during his first seven seasons with the Lakers.

In a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, James reacted to Reaves' 51-point effort in the Lakers' 127-120 win over the Kings at the Golden 1 Center on Sunday. "The King" wasn't with the team for their road trip, continuing his recovery from sciatica.

"50 piece 🐔 nugget!!!!! That boy AR TOOOO TOUGH!!" James tweeted.

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Austin Reaves finished the game with 51 points, 11 rebounds, nine assists and two steals in 39 minutes. He shot 12-for-22 from the field and knocked down six shots from beyond the arc. However, he did most of his damage by drawing fouls and going to the free-throw line 22 times.

Reaves went 21-for-22 from the charity stripe, with the Sacramento Kings only going 12-for-18 as a team. It was a masterclass for the 27-year-old guard who was tasked to lead the Lakers with LeBron James and Luka Doncic out.

James is not set to return until mid-November, while Doncic has been ruled out for a week before the game. He has a finger injury coupled with a leg contusion, so the Lakers are being cautious with their superstar duo.

According to StatMuse, James has never had a 50-10-9 game as a Laker. He has had three 50-point games in his Lakers career. He had 50-7-6 on March 11, 2022 against the Washington Wizards, 51-8-3 on Nov. 8, 2018 against the Miami Heat and 56-10-3 on March 5, 2022 against the Golden State Warriors.

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Austin Reaves ties Lakers record with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Wilt Chamberlain

After his 51-point effort, Austin Reaves etched his name in the LA Lakers record books. Reaves is now tied with two legendary players in Lakers history, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Wilt Chamberlain. They all have two 45-point games as a Laker, which ranks eighth in the franchise's all-time list.

Reaves has a chance to showcase himself as a number one option with LeBron James and Luke Doncic out. He's expected to enter unrestricted free agency next season, so there are teams likely interested in signing him. He has improved his game every season and is poised to have another career year.

At just 27 years old, Reaves is just entering his prime and will be a valuable asset for a team looking for a scorer and playmaker.

Edited by Juan Paolo David