Austin Reaves‘ epic 45-point career game to lead the shorthanded Los Angeles Lakers to an improbable 124-117 victory against the Indiana Pacers without LeBron James and Luka Doncic was his loudest statement to those who didn’t believe in him.

Some of his high school teachers included.

“The path that I took is not conventional,” Reaves told reporters after Saturday’s win. “There’s probably only a handful of people that thought I would be in this position if any and it wasn’t really the popular thing to do to continue to chase my dream.”

Reaves was a star at Cedar Ridge High School in Newark, Arkansas, before he spent five years in college, splitting his time with Wichita State and Oklahoma.

But he wasn’t athletic nor a shooter (he shot 30.5% on 3-pointers in his final year in Oklahoma) — the two qualities that NBA teams looked for in a prospect. So, Reaves went undrafted.

What he lacked on those qualities, he more than made up for it by his disciplined work ethic and singular-focused determination.

“I didn’t really do anything in high school but go to the gym,” Reaves added. “I didn’t party, didn’t drink or anything and kind of just stuck to basketball and chose that route.”

But what fueled him more was his doubters who tried to invalidate his dream.

“I know I had teachers in high school telling me I needed to figure out a plan B because plan A wasn’t going to work,” Reaves continued.

Lakers’ Gamble Paying Off Big Time

The Lakers took a gamble on Reaves and it is paying off big time.

He went from a two-way contract to a minimum signing and now on the second year of a four-year, $54 million contract that is widely regarded as one of the best value deals in the NBA today.

Reaves is the Lakers’ third-best player on the roster. But on Saturday night, he was the best player on the floor despite the presence of Indiana’s three-time All-Star Pascal Siakam and last season’s All-Star Tyrese Haliburton.

“I think he’s been as important as any player on our team,” Lakers coach JJ Redick said of Reaves. “I felt like he was the best player on the floor tonight, and that says a lot. He showed up in a big-time way.”

Reaves shot 14-of-26 from the floor with seven rebounds and seven assists as he became the youngest Lakers player to get 40 points, five rebounds and five assists in a game since Kobe Bryant did so in 2006, according to ESPN.

Austin Reaves ‘Screw-Y’all’ Moment
Reaves’ 45 points is the most points scored by an undrafted player since Fred Van Vleet’s 53 points in 2021.

On a night James and Doncic were out, the Lakers had no business of winning against the Pacers who went to the Eastern Conference Finals last season.

But Reaves had no quit in him.

It was his “Screw-y’all” moment that validated what many thought was an impossible dream.

“I’ve been told that a million times and I maybe wasn’t smart enough to understand that because it’s a very small percentage that that makes it to this level,” Reaves said. “So, I was probably naive when they were telling me that and I was like ‘Screw y’all like I’m going to figure it out’ and it’s just if I can inspire kids [with] my situation to continue to chase their dreams, whatever it is, just do it regardless of what anybody thinks of you.”