Miami Heat’s Fil-American coach Erik Spoelstra wasn’t wrong to say that members of Team USA will be treated like rock stars in the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 in Manila, even though all of them are members of the NBA’s youth brigade.
Give them two weeks and they will be treated like royalty, Spoelstra said.
Well. More like, one game.
Road to redemption
In Saturday’s World Cup opener against New Zealand, Team USA weathered a slight hiccup to start the game as it went on to cruise to an emphatic 99-72 victory over 26th-ranked New Zealand.
In search of a sixth World Cup title after a humiliating seventh-place finish in 2019, the Americans’ road to redemption was led by reigning NBA Rookie of the Year, Orlando Magic’s Paolo Banchero, who came off the bench to score 12 of his game-high 21 points in the third quarter to power the US team.
Banchero was ably backed by Minnesota Timberwolves’ Anthony “Antman” Edwards, New York’s Jalen Brunson and Indiana’s Tyrese Haliburton.
Can’t help falling in love
Everyone from Team USA drew loud cheers from the crowd. But the loudest one was reserved for the pretty one from the Los Angeles Lakers.
Because in a team full of rock stars, Austin Reaves is Elvis Presley.
So much so, that Filipino fans were still gushing over Reaves even when he has already left the building.
One fan held a sign, saying Reaves is better than even LeBron James, his LA teammate.
Miami Heat diehard supporter Celest Flores of the inquirer, kidded: “Maybe Austin Reaves can turn me into a Laker fan.”
In a viral video, Edwards, on their way to the locker room, was seen teasing Reaves and repeating the crowd’s chants of “Austin you’re HIM, Austin you’re HIM”, as a playful nod to the Laker for being popular and dominant in the NZ game, where he scored 12 points and issued 6 assists.
Against Greece, which the US team beat, 109-81, Reaves was easily the game’s best player with 15 points, 5 rebounds, 6 assists, and, 2 steals.
Follow that dream
“It’s special for me. I’m from a super small town. Not a lot of people expected me to be here to represent our country. So, for them to accept me the way they accepted me, that means a lot to me,” said Reaves, who already had an inkling of what to expect in the Philippines from recent Manila visitor, Lakers’ assistant coach Phil Handy.
“He (Handy) was telling me that they love the Lakers out here, so I kind of saw it coming. It’s special for me,” Austin said of the warm treatment.
Rock stars
Spoelstra was right. USA is the tournament’s rock-star team. Mikal Bridges of the Nets is Bono for being a vocal advocate for social justice and has spoken out against police brutality and racial injustice. Edwards is Freddie Mercury for sheer talent. Bobby Portis of the Bucks is Keith Richards for being the oldest. (Just kidding.)
But it’s easy to point to Reaves as Presley, the OG rock star of this bunch.
Austin’s powers
Both had to prove they belong.
Elvis’ music teacher (who gave him a C grade) at L.C. Humes High School told him that he had no aptitude for singing, and so he brought in his guitar the following day and sang a hit at that time, “Keep Them Cold Icy Fingers Off Me”, to prove otherwise. Reaves, on the other hand, fell to no. 42 in the 2021 NBA Draft, but declined to be selected by the Detroit Pistons and instead opted for a 2-way deal with the Lakers, before being eventually signed to a regular contract by the team.
Elvis isn’t considered a great vocalist, but he made up for it with his charm, the way he moved that pelvis on stage and well, his pretty face. Reaves, admittedly, isn’t the most athletic player on that US team, but he makes up for it with his heart and hustle plays. It doesn’t hurt that he’s pleasing to look at, too, and Filipinos love their basketball players pretty, from Caloy Loyzaga to Robert Jaworski and Alvin Patrimonio, all the way to Dwight Ramos.
A hound dog
Elvis was a working-class kid, who became ultra successful. In a way, Reaves, is the working-class player of the team designated to do the dirty job of diving for looseballs and defending on the perimeter – tough and rugged traits that Filipino fans also like in their players, from Big Boy Reynoso, to Rudy Distrito and Beau Belga, all the way to Marc Pingris. In a CBS article, Reaves got a glowing review: “Virtually every metric praises his defense, and the eye test supports him there.”
This American bunch may not have the mega star power of James and Steph, at least for now. But in this batch, Reaves is HIM and that’s all right.