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Austin Reaves and Dennis Schroder were teammates on the LA Lakers last season. Reaves re-signed with the Lakers this offseason while Schroder signed with the Toronto Raptors.
The two guards led the Lakers backcourt to the Western Conference finals and became good friends. The two were almost national teammates as well. Reaves’ grandmother is German and the American baller gained German citizenship in 2022. He planned to play for Germany but instead remained loyal to his home nation of the United States when he got the invite from Team USA.
Reaves and Schroder faced off head-to-head when Team USA took on Germany in the semifinals of the 2023 FIBA World Cup in the Philippines. Schroder and Germany pulled off the stunning upset 113-111. Schroder had 17 points in the win. Reaves did his part in the losing effort with 21 points on 7-of-10 shooting.
Reaves was out on the golf course and filmed a TikTok of some of his shots. In between shots he had a special message for his former teammate.
“Shoutout to my boy Dennis Schroder,” Reaves said. “Obviously pissed off y’all beat us but, it’s the second best option.”
A few weeks have passed but it seems the loss is still sitting with Reaves. When asked what the best option was, Reaves had a simple.
“Us winning,” Reaves said.
Will Austin Reaves face off against Dennis Schroder again?
Austin Reaves may get a chance at revenge when the Lakers take on the Raptors this season. Perhaps their big rematch could take place at the Paris 2024 Olympics.
Both Germany and Team USA already qualified for next summer’s spectacle in the City of Lights. Schroder will certainly be representing Germany once again, barring any injury. Germany will be one of the favorites after their recent success.
Austin Reaves will need another impressive NBA season to make the mighty Team USA. His Laker teammate LeBron James is reportedly gearing up to play in next year’s Olympics. He is also recruiting many veterans and NBA stars like Steph Curry to don the red, white and blue one last time.
If all those guys commit to Team USA, it may be tougher for young guys like Reaves to make the team. Nevertheless, Reaves left an indelible mark on this summer’s squad at the World Cup.
