LeBron James Drops ‘White Boy’ Compliment While Talking Up Teammate’s Game

LeBron James noticed two things when he first laid eyes on Austin Reaves: that he's white, but also not like other whites.

James and co-host Steve Nash recently welcomed Reaves to their ‘Mind The Game’ podcast, and while LeBron admitted that he had never seen Reaves play until after the Los Angeles Lakers signed him in 2021, he explained it didn't take him long at all to realize Reaves wasn't your regular white hooper.

"The first thing I noticed — it's kind of funny, we always talk about this — he didn't play like a white boy," James said while Reaves laughed, sitting beside him. "It was very different, his wiggle was very different. 

"I mean, I grew up in Northeast Ohio, so I know white guys playing like white guys and white guys playing like the brothers. And what I could see in his game is that he had a lot of wiggle to his game. And that was one of the one things that, quite frankly, we were missing."

Some may take offense to James bringing focus to Reaves' skin color, but they shouldn't. 

It may be uncomfortable to say in today's oh-so-woke society, but it's an inarguable statement that black men have dominated the NBA — and therefore the highest level of basketball on the planet — for generations. 

So, when a black player, let alone one of the greatest to ever step foot on a basketball court, says his white teammate doesn't play "like a white boy," it's a compliment. Reaves certainly took no offense to what James said about his skin color or his game.

While James has said and done some dumb things in his day, this doesn't fall into that category.

It's also worth mentioning that James' assessment of Reaves' game was spot on. Reaves has averaged over 15 points per game over the last three seasons, including 23.5 points this year, while developing into one of the best shooting guards in the NBA.