'Could Still Be Together': Austin Reaves Jokes After Golf Reunion With LeBron and Bronny Post-Lakers Split

LOS ANGELES — Austin Reaves has spent his entire NBA career alongside LeBron James, and with the Lakers star now in Philadelphia, the guard offered a light-hearted sign of how much the partnership still means to him after joining James and Bronny James for a golf outing that was posted online in recent days.

At the end of the video, produced by the golf YouTube channel Bob Does Sports, the three posed together for a photo. "That's a killer three right there," the channel's host, Bob, said. "That's primetime Reaves." Reaves answered with a joke, giving James a big hug as those around them laughed. "Could still be together," he said, according to a report by Basketball Network.

The exchange carries weight because of how much has changed for the trio this year. James, who spent his final Lakers seasons as the franchise's resident star, chose to leave Los Angeles and sign with the Philadelphia 76ers. Lakers president of basketball operations Rob Pelinka described the exit as "done amicably," according to an ESPN headline. Reaves, who joined the Lakers as an undrafted free agent from Oklahoma on a two-way contract in 2021, quickly earned a guaranteed deal and signed an extension in 2023. This summer he agreed to a new four-year contract worth about $185 million, Basketball Network reported, a figure Yahoo Sports put at $184.7 million.

The 2026-27 season will be the first of Reaves' NBA career without James as a teammate, Yahoo Sports noted. It will also be the first season without his father in the building for Bronny James, who is entering his third NBA year, according to BasketballNews. Training camps open around the league on Tuesday, with the first preseason games to follow in October, Bleacher Report reported.

The video grew out of a trip to Bandon Dunes Golf Resort in Oregon, where James, Bronny and Reaves played a three-on-three scramble over nine holes against Bob and his friends, including Bobby Fairways, Joey Cold Cuts and The Fat Perez. Team Bob Does Sports won the first and second rounds, sweeping the NBA trio, Basketball Network reported. Yahoo Sports reported in August that James teased clips from the round on his Instagram stories ahead of the full video's release. One of those posts described a near miss on a par-three. "Almost had my first hole in 1 today. I called it before I swung too! Damn close," James wrote, according to Yahoo Sports.

Reaves said his relationship with James has grown beyond the court, and golf has helped. He said that as a rookie he had little idea what was going on and that James "basically took me under his wing," giving him every opportunity and "trusting me," in comments carried by Basketball Network. "But further than the court, like building real friendship. Obviously, he's into golf now, so we're a lot closer. So, yeah, it's been super fun," he said. He added: "He's taught me a lot. I owe him a lot for my career."

Golf has become a shared passion. Reaves is one of the better-known golfers in the NBA and regularly plays in offseason pro-am events, according to BasketballNews. The outlet also reported that James credited Reaves with getting him hooked on the sport, saying during his April debut on Bob Does Sports that he had not thought about golf until Reaves nudged him toward it about eight months earlier. James has since launched his own YouTube golf channel and has said it will release new content monthly, BasketballNews reported.

Reaves also shared an anecdote about how he learned James was leaving the Lakers, and it involved a golf course. "I texted him and told him I was having a great day on the golf course until he ruined it," Reaves said, according to Basketball Network. He said the news had spoiled what was shaping up to be a good round, but he described the relationship as one of gratitude rather than resentment. "I don't have enough time to explain how much he means to me and my career and what he's done for me," Reaves continued. "There's nothing but love and respect."

The video also caught the attention of coverage that has followed the Lakers' offseason closely. Yahoo Sports called the trio's meetup notable because it showed James reconnecting with two former teammates after his departure and after Reaves' contract extension. The outlet also said the coming season would likely be a refreshing change for the team but would require some adjustment, as James' influence in the locker room will be missed.

Reaves' new deal makes him one of the Lakers' clear go-to options entering the season, BasketballNews reported. The path to that contract was not a straight line: ESPN reported that the Lakers offered him a four-year, $89 million extension on June 23, the day after the NBA Finals ended, an offer the report said both sides expected him to turn down. "There was a lot of pride and appreciation when we got that offer," his agent Reggie Berry told ESPN. "But we knew it was not the time to take it."

For now, the joke, and the hug that came with it, suggests the friendship endures even though the jerseys have changed. As Basketball Network put it, the golf course is where the three can still be together.