Los Angeles Lakers guard Austin Reaves says Kobe Bryant’s 60-point finale in 2016 remains the defining moment of the late superstar’s career for him.
During an appearance on “The Young Man and The Three” podcast, Reaves recalled watching Bryant’s last NBA game while he was a high-school senior. The broadcast aired close to midnight in his Arkansas home, and Reaves said his loud reaction woke his mother. “She opened the door to see what was going on, looked at the television and understood immediately,” the guard told the show.
Reaves, who signed with the Lakers in 2021, explained that Bryant’s approach to basketball shaped his own outlook. “Every possession mattered to him. He was a winner,” he said.
Bryant captured five championships during his 20-year run with Los Angeles, setting the standard Reaves and the current roster hope to match as the franchise pursues an 18th title. The Lakers last won the NBA Finals in 2020, a season the organization dedicated to Bryant after his death earlier that year.
Reaves also shared a lighter anecdote: his grandmother once scolded LeBron James for yelling at him during a game, underlining the high expectations that come with playing alongside one of basketball’s all-time greats.
Source: Lakers Nation
