Austin Reaves

Reaves and his mother, Nicole Wilkett, discuss his upbringing, their battles in the backyard and a childhood dream turned reality.

“So, you know, it just shaped me to be someone that strives for more every game, every day.” “I try to be very positive. 15 jerseys ready to watch “The Reaves boy” play. It means a lot that every game good or bad, I get a text from her.” “So we strive and work hard to be the best that we can be to win.” “Walking in [to the tournament] as the parent, nobody knowing who I am, and hearing people on the phone saying, ‘Yeah, we’re here to watch that No. I can’t keep up with, [and] I don’t keep up with the points, but I can tell you how many free throws he missed, how many turnovers he’s had. And he respectfully told me it was a horrible decision,” Reaves laughed. “The NBA, that’s quite a goal,” Wilkett reflected. But it was a dream of mine that I just kept pursuing.” I went back and I told my dad, I want to play basketball. “It was a long shot, honestly,” Reaves shared.