Lakers’ Austin Reaves part of young Team USA roster for FIBA World Cup
Lakers guard Austin Reaves on Thursday was officially named to the 12-player Team USA roster for the upcoming 2023 FIBA World Cup.
Grant Hill, running his first major international event as executive director at a time when most of the top American players will be unavailable, opted for youth, size and defense for the squad that will play in the Aug. 25-Sept. 10 tournament in the Philippines, Okinawa, Japan and Indonesia.
Reaves also re-signed with the Lakers on Thursday after the restricted free agent agreed to return on a four-year, $56 million Early Bird maximum contract late last week.
He’s coming off a breakout season in which he averaged 13 points, 3.4 assists and 3 rebounds in 28.8 minutes (64 games with 22 starts).
The 6-foot-5 Reaves stepped up in the postseason as the team’s third-leading scorer, averaging 16.9 points, 4.6 assists and 4.4 rebounds in 36.2 minutes (16 games, all starts) during the Lakers’ run to the conference finals.
The 25-year-old, who went undrafted out of Oklahoma in 2021, originally signed a two-way contract with the Lakers in August 2021 before signing a standard two-year NBA deal the following month ahead of the 2021-22 season.
Team USA will open first-round play against New Zealand on Aug. 26, with matchups against Greece (Aug. 28) and Jordan (Aug. 30) to round out the first round of the group phase. Team USA will play all of its group games at Manila’s Mall of Asia Arena.
The U.S. team, which includes former Lakers Brandon Ingram and Josh Hart, will begin training camp in Las Vegas in early August before playing a series of exhibition games as part of the USA Basketball Showcase.
Team USA’s full roster:
• Paolo Banchero (Orlando Magic)
• Mikal Bridges (Brooklyn Nets)
• Jalen Brunson (New York Knicks)
• Anthony Edwards (Minnesota Timberwolves)
• Tyrese Haliburton (Indiana Pacers)
• Josh Hart (New York Knicks)
• Brandon Ingram (New Orleans Pelicans)
• Jaren Jackson Jr. (Memphis Grizzlies)
• Cam Johnson (Brooklyn Nets)
• Walker Kessler (Utah Jazz)
• Bobby Portis (Milwaukee Bucks)
• Austin Reaves (Lakers)