Austin Reaves knows his place in Luka Doncic’s kingdom.
Doncic recently welcomed Reaves and several other Lakers players to Slovenia for workouts and bonding activities to strengthen their chemistry during the NBA offseason.
Among the stops Doncic and company made in Slovenia was at a hospital in Ljubljana, where they tried to brighten the day of several kids.
After the hospital visit, Reaves was asked by a reporter about the response the Lakers got from the kids.
“They love Luka,” Reaves responded.
Asked if they also loved him, Reaves answered, “They love Luka more, as they should. Luka is a hero.”
Here is a video showing that short interview with Reaves.
Reporter: “Hey Austin, what did the kids say?”
— LakeShowYo (@LakeShowYo) August 24, 2026
AR: “They love Luka!”
Reporter: “Do they love you?”
AR: “They love Luka more, as they should. Luka is a hero!” pic.twitter.com/M0K3HGYH44
Doncic has long enjoyed rockstar status in Slovenia, and Reaves and the other Lakers players who joined the trip surely saw firsthand how immensely popular the two-time NBA scoring champion is in his home country.
Reaves might have also scored some major popularity points in Slovenia after hanging out with Doncic there, but it would take something short of a miracle for him to become a bigger figure in the Central European country.
With LeBron James no longer a Laker, Reaves can expect more touches and a bigger role alongside Doncic, starting in the 2026-27 NBA season.
Reaves operated mostly as a third option on offense for Los Angeles since Doncic arrived via a trade with the Dallas Mavericks in 2025, but he should be due for a bigger usage, as the Lakers look to make up for James’ averages last season of 20.9 points on 15.3 field goal attempts per game.
