Lakers' Reaves in town, sees Team USA ruling Olympic basketball

MANILA, Philippines – Barring any major hiccup, the retooled Team USA is poised to reign supreme in the Paris Olympics for the fifth straight time.

Los Angeles Lakers guard Austin Reaves, member of the Team USA squad that settled for a fourth-place finish in the 2023 FIBA World Cup held in Manila, has this confidence and belief in his compatriots’ capability to regain foothold of the world basketball order in the ongoing Summer Games.

“I really like their chances. Their talent is second to none. They’re by far the most talented team,” said Reaves, who was unveiled as the newest ambassador of Arena Plus at the Shangri-La The Fort in Taguig City Saturday.

“If they’ll continue to play alongside each other the right way, build the chemistry and trust one another, I don’t think anybody can beat them,” he added, noting the growing bond of the newly-formed Team USA tasked to redeem the country’s lost glory.

Reaves, a fan favorite among Filipino fans last World Cup, saw first-hand the development of international play as USA bowed to Germany, 113-111, in the semifinals before falling to Canada, 127-118, in OT of the bronze medal match to miss the podium in back-to-back World Cup editions.

It’s only the first back-to-back World Cup podium miss for USA since 1970 as Germany went on to win the World at the expense of Serbia, prompting the Americans to call up the NBA’s crème of the crop led by the legendary troika of LeBron James, Kevin Durant and Stephen Curry for Paris.

“Germany is obviously a very good team and France as well, with the size of (Victor) Wenbanyama and (Rudy) Gobert. But like I said, if USA is clicking on all cylinders, they’ll be tough to beat,” added Reaves, who has LA teammates James and Anthony Davis on Team USA with a 2-0 record so far en route to the quarterfinals.

Reaves may be a spectator for now, but he’ll be one of the biggest supporters for USA while attending his offseason gigs, including a comeback in the Philippines as Arena Plus’ new international face.

“It feels like home. I’ve been here before so it feels like home. The Filipinos are big sports fans. They know sports really well so partnering with Arena Plus is like connecting back with everybody,” beamed Reaves, recalling the “Austin” chants from the avid Filipino crowd in the World Cup.

Arena Plus, serving as partner of PBA, PVL and Gilas Pilipinas on top of its unwavering support for Team Philippines in the FIBA World Cup and now the Paris Olympics, could not be grateful enough in welcoming Reaves to the family.

“We believe in Austin’s dedication and professionalism as the leading sports entertainment app in the country, we only choose the best,” said Rafael Jasper Vicencio, president of Total Gamezone Xtreme Inc. (ArenaPlus), who was joined by Reaves’ business representative Aaron Matthew Reilly.

“With Austin, we’ll be able to level up the appreciation of sports, especially for the basketball and NBA fans in the country. Thank you, Austin, for making this incredible milestone possible. We look forward to working with you on more projects to come."