Austin Reaves and Luka Doncic have built a real friendship with the Lakers, and that bond comes with a steady stream of jokes. Reaves recently told a story on the Pardon My Take podcast that made Doncic the punchline: a New Year’s Eve trip to Doncic’s house ended with Reaves winning over and over again in bowling.
“He does have a bowling alley in his basement, and I think it was New Year’s Eve,” Reaves said. “I went and ate with my people and then going home, he called me, and he had some friends over for New Year’s or whatever.
I went over there, and I think we ended up bowling until like 5:30 in the morning. He can’t beat me.”
Dan Katz jumped in with the obvious joke that it was pretty rough for Doncic to lose in his own home, and Reaves agreed without hesitation.
“I tell him that too,” Reaves said. “I’m like, ‘Yo, you can’t even beat me in your own house, this is sad.'”
That wasn’t the only place Reaves claimed the edge. He said the two have gone at it in a handful of other games, and Doncic hasn’t exactly been collecting wins.
“We’ve played a lot,” Reaves said. “Ping Pong, I don’t think he’s beaten me in Ping Pong.
We briefly played darts, but I won that. We played shuffleboard; I beat him in that.
I mean, the one thing he can probably beat me at is what I probably need to care about more is basketball. He’s a pretty good player.”
On the court, though, Doncic is the one with the real bragging rights. Reaves averaged 23.3 points, 4.7 rebounds, 5.5 assists, 1.1 steals, and 0.4 blocks per game for the Lakers in 2025-26, while Doncic put up 33.5 points, 7.7 rebounds, 8.3 assists, 1.6 steals, and 0.5 blocks per game. Doncic won the scoring title and finished fourth in MVP voting.
Neither player was available when the Lakers’ season came apart in the 2026 playoffs. Doncic missed the postseason with a grade 2 left hamstring strain, while Reaves sat out the start with a grade 2 left oblique strain and wasn’t quite the same after returning. Los Angeles was swept by the Oklahoma City Thunder in the Western Conference Semifinals, and that series also ended up being the last time LeBron James was with the team before leaving in free agency.
Reaves was headed for free agency too, but the Lakers kept him in place on a four-year, $180 million deal. He had initially agreed to a four-year, $185 million contract before taking a $5 million pay cut to give the team some flexibility.
Doncic had already made it clear he wanted Reaves back, so the Lakers locking him up long-term had to be good news in his eyes. With those two now at the center of what the front office is building, the next question is how far they can push this team.
In Other News...
Former Lakers Champion Just Floated A Wild New LeBron Theory
A former Lakers champion has kicked up a fresh round of offseason chatter, and this one stretches well beyond Los Angeles. Markieff Morris took to social media with a speculative chain of NBA movement that tied together James Harden, Jalen Green and a possible Cleveland landing spot, turning a routine rumor cycle into something much more ambitious. It was the kind of idea that gets attention because it connects several big names at once, even if it is still just theory.
The framework would require Cleveland to navigate a sign-and-trade involving Harden and the Suns, with Green coming back the other way, which is already enough to make the scenario feel complicated. What really turned heads was the broader implication hanging over the whole discussion, since the speculation leaves open a path that would send the conversation into even bigger territory for the Cavaliers and anyone tracking LeBron James rumors. [Read more 🡒]
Lakers Just Got A Telling Verdict On Their Post-LeBron Summer
The Lakers post-LeBron summer has already been under the microscope, and the early verdict from ESPNs Zach Kram was hardly a ringing endorsement. After the team and LeBron James split following the 2025-26 season, Los Angeles also saw Rui Hachimura, Marcus Smart, Luke Kennard, Deandre Ayton and Jaxson Hayes move on, leaving a roster that looks very different from the one that closed out last year.
Kram landed on a C+ for the Lakers offseason work, a grade that reflects more unease than optimism. His concerns centered on a thin forward group, a glaring backup-center question and the reality that the team has very little draft capital left after the Kessler trade, which leaves the bigger question hanging over the whole summer: did the Lakers actually get better, or just rearrange the same problems? [Read more 🡒]
Lakers Just Sent A Strong Message About Bronny If LeBron Leaves
The Lakers have made it clear they are not treating Bronny James like a convenient add-on in any future roster shuffle, even if LeBron James ultimately signs elsewhere. Khobi Price said the organization has invested in Bronnys development and views him as a long-term project, not a quick flip, which fits with the teams decision to send him to the G League for regular playing time and a steadier path forward.
For a franchise that is always balancing present pressure with future flexibility, that matters. Bronnys name will keep coming up in any conversation tied to LeBrons future, but the Lakers stance suggests they would need a meaningful offer before even entertaining the idea of moving him, and they appear to see his value as more than just the family connection that brought so much attention in the first place. [Read more 🡒]