For a player who once sat through draft night waiting for his name to be called, Austin Reaves’ path to NBA stardom has always been rooted in quiet belief and the people who shared it with him. He went undrafted in 2021 by choice, turning down the chance to be picked in the late 40s of the first round so he could sign a two-way deal with the Los Angeles Lakers. He then clawed his way from the end of the bench and became a household name after his displays during the 2023 playoff run.
Tears, sacrifice, and a whole lot of self-belief saw a skinny kid from rural Arkansas transform into a Lakers superstar. But along the way, Reaves has been blessed to have the support of influential ‘guiding lights’. Priscilla Callahan, Austin’s high school career coach, is one of those figures. In a recent NBC News special, she recalled that awful NBA draft night in 2021, and revealed how her emotions got the better of her when Reaves went undrafted.
“The night of the NBA draft, my husband, daughter, and I were sitting at home watching,” Callahan said. “He was supposed to go, I want to say, like 40-something. We sat there, and we sat there, and we sat there, and nothing, nothing for hours. By the time it was over, I was just upset and in tears and worried about him because he had, you know, looked forward to this for so long, and it didn’t happen.”
After the draft, Reaves and his agent followed through on a plan that most prospects would consider insane. They told teams like the Detroit Pistons not to take him in the 40’s so he could go undrafted. Instead, he picked his own spot and signed a two‑way deal with the Lakers instead of being stashed somewhere without a clear path to the floor.
“It was a couple of days later that I was in class. One of the kids in class said, ‘Oh my gosh, Austin’s going to the Lakers.’ It wasn’t very long after that that he called me, and when I answered the phone, I didn’t say hello or anything. I just said, ‘Okay, let me hear it.’ And he said, ‘I told you so, Miss Callahan, I told you I was going to.’ And I started crying. I was so happy for him,” Priscilla added.
Austin Reaves High School yearbook quote:
“Everything negative-pressure, challenges-is all an opportunity for me to rise.”
– Kobe Bryant pic.twitter.com/hoel4AzQtx
— 𝐏𝐮𝐫𝐩𝑮𝒐𝒍𝒅
(@PurpGoldLakers) April 14, 2026
The path that Reaves chose speaks volumes about his character. It was the opposite of the instant‑gratification dream he’d grown up with on his TV in Newark, Arkansas. No guaranteed money, no first-round bragging rights, just a training-camp invite and a whole lot of self-belief.
Reaves admitted in recent interviews that in those first few months in the big city, he didn’t even see a paycheck until August. He lived in a team-provided hotel and relied on the Lakers’ facility for breakfast and lunch while scraping together dinners. True to his grind, he spent his rookie year bouncing between the G-League and the bench, fighting for minutes in practice and absorbing everything he could from LeBron James.
Before the league could ever fathom Austin’s talent, he believed in himself. In the end, as they say, it all worked out.
Austin Reaves’ steady rise – from benchwarmer to starting five
Austin’s first few years in the city of Angels were anything but easy. He worked around the clock to get the attention of Frank Vogel, who gave him his debut in October 2022. Reaves impressed in 2022-23, averaging 13 points and 3.4 assists, finishing seventh in the Sixth Man of the Year rankings. He had his chances under Darvin Ham, but he’s truly elevated his game under HC JJ Redick.
Miss Callahan offered further insight into Reaves’ mindset, highlighting his contagious self-confidence in the LA dressing room.
“Usually, the first couple of days, I ask, you know, what do you want to be? And for him, he didn’t say, ‘I want to play in the NBA.’ NBA. He said, ‘I’m going to play in the NBA.’ That just kind of struck me, and I just said, ‘Okay.’ Do we need a backup plan just in case? He did not like that at all. For him to be that young, I mean, 17 years old and that determined, ‘I’m going to play in the NBA,’ he knew he had work to do, and he did it,” the high school teacher added.
Since the start of the 2024-25 season, Reaves has averaged 21.5 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 5.7 assists across 124 games. He’s formed strong on-court camaraderie with Slovenian superstar Luka Doncic this campaign.
The two have taken over the offensive responsibility from James. However, with both stars suffering serious injuries earlier this month in the loss against OKC, they will most likely miss the opening phase of the first-round playoff series vs. Kevin Durant and the Houston Rockets.
