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LAS VEGAS From the time Austin Reaves joined the Lakers in 2021 as an undrafted prospect, his basketball life centered around playing with a savant in LeBron James.
That no longer will be the case.
Reaves re-signed with the Lakers on a four-year, $180-million deal, but James decided to move on as he prepares to play an unprecedented 24th season.
Reaves was stunned when he heard about James decision while playing golf in Lake Tahoe.
Nearly two weeks later, Reaves says he still is trying to process the development.
I kind of was thinking about it last night when I got here, Reaves said Monday in his first news conference since re-signing.
Starting the season without him being on the team is going to be different for me.
Hes kind of all Ive ever known.
Just him being around, joking around, acting like hes 15.
But thats his decision and like I said in Tahoe, anytime Ive talked about it, I got nothing but love and respect for him and yeah, lets play some golf soon.
The contract Reaves signed was the richest in NBA history for an undrafted player.
At 28 and entering his sixth season, Reaves wanted to stay in L.A.
I wanted to be a Laker the whole time.
We had that period from when the season ended until the first [of July] to get something done and we figured it out before then, he said.
My heart was in L.A.
the whole time.
Reaves will become one of the de facto leaders of the Lakers along with Luka Doncic.
The two once again will be one of the most dynamic backcourts in the NBA.
Obviously my relationship with the guys that were on the team last year, Reaves said of why he wanted to stay.
And then Luka.
I mean, hes one of my best friends on this planet.
Talk to him almost every single day.
He sends me videos of his golf swing and asks me what he can do to get better and I tell him Im not a coach.
The Lakers have overhauled the roster: All the players who started alongside Reaves in the playoffs last spring are gone.
With the signing of former Brooklyn Nets forward Ziaire Williams on Monday, the Lakers have eight new players, all of them arriving either via trades, free agency or the draft.
Theyre good, Reaves said of the moves.
Obviously, Ive been with the guys that are leaving for a couple years and with Bron for five years and I hate to see guys like that go.
But the pieces that are coming in, Im very excited about and Im happy to get started today and see where it goes.
One of those new players is Walker Kessler, a 7-foot-2 center the Lakers felt fit best around Doncic and Reaves because hes a lob threat, rim-protector and good defender and is developing his three-point shooting.
The Lakers got him from the Utah Jazz in a trade and then signed him to a four-year, $130-million contract.
The Lakers sent out two unprotected first-round picks (2031, 2033) and two first-round pick swaps (2028, 2030).
Kessler, who played only five games last season after having surgery to repair a torn labrum in his left shoulder, is aware the Lakers paid a big price to get him.
It definitely makes you feel a certain way when you know an organization believes in you, Kessler said Monday in his introduction.
And I think what theyve invested, theyre showing that belief in a monetary value, not just with money, but like you said, assets.
And for me, Im somebody that if I know that they have that belief in me, Im gonna run through a brick wall for them.
Thats just how Ive been wired my whole life and it definitely makes it a lot easier to go out there and compete for a team.
Power forward Sandro Mamukelashvili could become a fan favorite, in part because of the tattoo he has on his lower left leg a No.
24 in honor of Kobe Bryant.
Mamukelashvili, who signed a four-year, $52-million deal, averaged 11.2 points last season with the Toronto Raptors and shot 52.3% from the field, including 38.9% from three-point range.
I got a Mamba Mentality tattoo.
I just love his mindset, Mamukelashvili said.
Growing up, I used to always say, Mah-moo Mentality! So, I know its a little far from each other.
But we are getting closer.
When guard Collin Sexton, another new Laker, was drafted by the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2018, James left and signed with the Lakers.
When Sexton signed a two-year, $19-million deal with the Lakers this month, James left again.
Sexton could only laugh about missing out on playing with James.
Hes just leaving every time I arrive, Sexton said, laughing.
Thats what it is.
No, but one of the other coaches made the same joke yesterday.
Its cool, I know.
Ive always wanted to team up with him for sure, but its definitely cool knowing him and just having normal conversations and stuff, so thats cool.
Sexton averaged 15.4 points and shot 48.5% last season with Chicago and Charlotte.
Hes ready for whatever role coach JJ Redick and the Lakers want for him.
They believe in me, he said.
And I just feel like at the end of the day, whenever a coach believes in you and like he said, hes going to be hard on me and yelling and screaming at me.
So, I like that.
I think thats what gets the best from me.
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles! WWE will swing for the fences for the second straight year when it hosts one of its major premium live events of the year at a Major League Baseball ballpark.
The company announced on Monday that Survivor Series: WarGames will take place at Daikin Park in Houston the home of the Astros on Saturday, Nov.
28.
It follows up the success of last years Survivor Series: WarGames event, which took place at Petco Park in San Diego the home of the Padres.
COMPLETE PRO WRESTLING COVERAGE ON FOX NEWS DIGITAL Houston is the perfect host city to celebrate this milestone chapter in Survivor Series storied history, and we look forward to partnering with Houston First and the Houston Astros to deliver an unforgettable event, WWE Chief Content Officer Paul Triple H Levesque said in a news release.
WarGames is a highly anticipated match, which has taken place yearly among wrestlers on the WWE roster since 2022.
The premium live event has also seen some dramatic returns.
In 2023, CM Punk came back to WWE at the end of the show and shocked the entire sports world.
Randy Orton also made his in-ring return during the match.
Last year, a mystery attacker interrupted the WarGames match and gave the win to The Vision and company.
Its unclear what is in the cards right now for the 40th edition of the event.
We are proud to be able to help bring one of the worlds premier entertainment brands to Houston for what promises to be an unforgettable holiday weekend, said Michael Heckman, President and CEO of Houston First, which partnered with WWE to bring the event back to Houston.
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP Hosting WWE Survivor Series will bring thousands of passionate fans to our city and generate a significant economic impact for community.
Houston has earned a reputation for delivering world-class entertainment events, and we look forward to welcoming the WWE Universe to our destination.
How much would you pay for a pair of shoes? Someone elses shoes, I mean.
Would you pay $7,000 for a chair on which Taylor Swift sat in a basketball arena for an NBA playoff game, not for her wedding? Someone did.
There was one Swift chair up for bid.
The Dodgers gave away 52,000 trading cards as part of a promotion for the Japanese animated series One Piece this month, and the current asking prices for one of those cards on eBay range from $784 to $15,656.
Even at the low end ..
strike that, there is no apparent low end to the collectibles market these days.
Now add Shohei Ohtani to the mix.
A pair of his cleats hit the auction block Monday, hyped by the promoter as one of the most significant baseball artifacts ever and the greatest baseball footwear ever made available and the most culturally significant footwear ever worn on Japanese soil.
In this case, the adjectives are more than breathless.
Ohtani is the best player in baseball, the favorite to win his fifth most valuable player award in six years, an international tourist attraction, and a global pitchman making an estimated $125 million in sponsorships and endorsements this year.
So, the footwear: These are the cleats Ohtani wore when the Dodgers opened the 2025 season in Japan, decorated with art of his world-famous dog Decoy and signed by Ohtani with Asian kanji characters rather than English letters.
The cleats were purchased last year by Take to the Universe (TTU), a Japanese company that distributes beauty and wellness products in Japan and throughout Asia.
State records show the company registered a subsidiary in Los Angeles two months ago.
We thought, hey, we could actually use this to market our company and enter into the U.S.
market, said Ryoji Iguchi, chief executive of the subsidiary.
Iguchi declined to say how much TTU paid for the cleats.
For a Japanese company to leverage Ohtani and the Dodgers to introduce itself to an American audience is nothing new not just for tangible consumer goods, but also for animated characters.
You wouldnt actually go into a store and ask for a TTU product, though.
You eventually might go into a store and ask for a beauty product made by another company.
TTU would just get it there.
So how does selling a pair of cleats create brand awareness for a brand consumers would not even know? This interview, Iguchi said.
The Ohtani Economy strikes again: You dont know us, but were coming to America, we want to help you sell your wares and were selling Ohtanis cleats! The sale was arranged by Scott Keeney, founder of the Realest, a Los Angeles-based enterprise specializing in sports and entertainment memorabilia.
Keeney talks about the museum-grade and investment-grade quality of the cleats.
You might find a trading card marketed as one of one, but someone could make another.
In this case, no one can make another pair of cleats worn by Ohtani on that particular day.
Its no different than art, where youre seeing paintings selling for tens, hundreds of millions of dollars, Keeney said.
The top grails are in a category of their own.
Its what the ultra, the top 0.0001% want, and they appreciate faster than anything else in the category.
So how much might the Ohtani cleats command, given the combination of sport and celebrity? Kobe Bryants sneakers from the game in which he tore his Achilles tendon and hit two free throws before he left the court fetched $660,000.
Michael Jordans Flu Game shoes sold for $1.4 million.
Kanye West wore Air Yeezys to the Grammys, and the pair sold for $1.8 million.
The ball Ohtani hit for his 50th home run in his 50-50 season: $4.4 million.
And, speaking of holy grails: Judy Garlands ruby slippers from The Wizard of Oz fetched $32.5 million.
I cannot afford that, in this lifetime or any other.
Perhaps you can.
If you cannot, the Realest is offering this free-to-enter contest: Guess the sale price of the Ohtani cleats and, if you come closest to the actual sale price, you win 1% of the price.
In the event of a tie, the first submission wins.
The cash would be nice, because this is just a pair of someone elses worn shoes.
But, since everything else Ohtani does seems to be unprecedented, this auction just might be too.
Stefon Diggs, still seeking new NFL home, insists no team has a better No 2 receiver than me NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles! Stefon Diggs is still looking for his next NFL team after one season with the New England Patriots, which ended in a Super Bowl LX defeat.
With NFL training camps across the country set to kick off at the end of the month, Diggs, who will be entering his 12th season, made quite the statement during a recent YouTube video on his channel.
Diggs stated that he is the best No.
2 receiver in the league, and he explained why.
Everybody got a 1,, he said.
Opportunities aside, people might say theres seven real 1s.
In my opinion, I can compete with anybody, but take those as your 1s.
You cant name a No.
2 better than me.
Theres not a No.
2 on a team.
Lets presumably give people the credit and just say, OK, you want to take the No.
1 spot away.
Name your No.
2 receiver right now.
Tell me how much he makes.
My last question is: Is he better than me? Diggs put up 1,013 yards in his 11th season, his first and only with the Patriots, on 85 receptions (102 targets) with four touchdowns from breakout star quarterback Drake Maye.
It marked Diggs seventh 1,000-yard season in the NFL, which have come in seven of the last eight seasons.
ODELL BECKHAM TOLD GIANTS COACH HES READY TO GO OUT ON MY SWORD TO EARN ROSTER SPOT The 32-year-old did note being a No.
2 option, which means he could be willing to take a pay cut to join a squad that he could help get back to the playoffs and, as ever player hopes, the Super Bowl.
But no team has pulled the trigger just yet.
Could Diggs off-the-field issues be a factor? He faced some serious allegations in December after being charged with felony strangulation and misdemeanor assault in a dispute with his private chef.
However, Diggs was found not guilty by a jury, with the NFL closing its review on the matter, stating there was insufficient evidence to warrant a suspension for violating its personal conduct policy.
Diggs attorney said that professional athletes have a target on their back following the non-guilty verdict.
We have taken these allegations seriously from Day One and thats exactly why we were eager for the facts to come to light through the legal process, Mitch Schuster of Meister, Seelig & Schuster, the firm that represented Diggs, said in a statement provided to Fox News Digital in May.
The Patriots released Diggs in March, but he has been staying in shape and looking for the next opportunity since the league cleared him last month.
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP Teams to watch could be the Los Angeles Chargers, New York Giants, Washington Commanders, Kansas City Chiefs, or even a Buffalo Bills reunion with Josh Allen, who built such a rapport with him to earn four straight Pro Bowls from 2020-23.
Follow Fox News Digitals sports coverage on X and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.
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