Austin Reaves has become easy to spot with the headband, but the look started for a pretty simple reason: he was trying to lift the mood.
Reaves recently explained to KRCR News Channel 7’s Keith Jouganatos that the headband wasn’t some long-planned style change. It came during a rough stretch for the Lakers, when the team was sliding and the energy was low.
“We were struggling as a team,” Reaves said. “I think we had lost three or four in a row, and we were in a bad spot, so I just wanted to brighten the mood, lighten the mood a little bit, and I put a headband on.
I looked crazy. And we started winning games, so I was like, you know what?
At my expense, I’ll keep the headband if we can keep the vibes high.”
That first headband game came in the Lakers’ 97-87 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves on Dec. 13, 2024. Reaves had just come back after missing five games with a pelvic contusion, and the defeat left Los Angeles at 13-12.
The results changed soon after. The Lakers won five of their next six, and the headband stuck. By the end of the 2024-25 season, they had climbed to a 50-32 record, a finish that didn’t look likely when things were going sideways early.
Reaves was a big part of that season, too. The former undrafted guard from 2021 averaged 20.2 points, 4.5 rebounds, 5.8 assists, 1.1 steals, and 0.3 blocks per game.
He took another step in 2025-26. The 28-year-old posted 23.3 points, 4.7 rebounds, 5.5 assists, 1.1 steals, and 0.4 blocks per game, though his numbers would have looked even stronger if not for a Grade 2 left calf strain he suffered near the end of 2025. When he returned, he wasn’t quite as sharp, but he still played fairly well.
That production put Reaves in line for a major payday in 2026. Rival teams showed interest, but the Lakers kept him on a four-year, $185 million deal. Reaves said he plans to be smart with his money and wants to set his family up for many generations.
The Lakers’ roster around him looks very different now. Reaves said he is “Very excited” about the new group, even while acknowledging how much he’ll miss the teammates who are gone.
“Very excited,” Reaves said. “Obviously, you never wanna see people that you’ve been with for years leave.
And obviously, I don’t have all the time in the world to talk about how great LeBron is and how much he means to me and my career. But I’m gonna miss all those guys.
But it’s a good opportunity for us to kind of turn the page and see what’s next.”
Reaves has already said he was disappointed when he learned James was leaving. The two got close during their time together, and Reaves has credited James as an important mentor. Next season will bring the first matchup between them, and that figure to feel a little strange for both sides.
Los Angeles has added Walker Kessler, Quentin Grimes, Sandro Mamukelashvili, Collin Sexton, and Kevon Looney in free agency, and the team is expected to add one more player. For Reaves and Luka Doncic, the question now is how far this reshaped Lakers roster can go.
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