Taylor Swift and Austin Reaves rumors set into motion by a Clippers employee?
Zain Fahimullah, a social media design associate for the Clippers, was about to board a flight home to Los Angeles after visiting his family in New York when he saw that Swift and The 1975 singer Matty Healy breaking up was trending on Twitter. He decided to pile on. He posted side-by-side photos of Swift and Reaves to his Twitter account, RefrigeratorLAL, writing, “Following her breakup, Taylor Swift was reportedly seen in an Arkansas Bar this weekend with star Laker basketball player Austin Reaves.” “Since I’m working for the Clippers, I didn’t want to tweet it off my main, so I tweeted it off there,” Fahimullah, a Lakers fan, told FOX Sports last week of his burner account.
Source: Melissa Rohlin @ FoxSports.com
Source: Melissa Rohlin @ FoxSports.com
What’s the buzz on Twitter?
Kamenetzky Brothers @KamBrothers
Wednesday’s @LockedOnLakers podcast! We break down @MirinFader’s profile of Austin Reaves, plus listener comments and Darvin turning the fifth starter status into (chef’s kiss) theater of the troll.
@LockedOnNetwork @LockedOnNBAPods
podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/eve… – 11:50 AM
Wednesday’s @LockedOnLakers podcast! We break down @MirinFader’s profile of Austin Reaves, plus listener comments and Darvin turning the fifth starter status into (chef’s kiss) theater of the troll.
@LockedOnNetwork @LockedOnNBAPods
podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/eve… – 11:50 AM
Melissa Rohlin @melissarohlin
Exclusive for @FOXSports, one tweet set into motion the rumor that Taylor Swift and Austin Reaves were dating.
We found who started it: A Clippers employee, using a burner account.
foxsports.com/stories/nba/th… – 11:08 AM
Exclusive for @FOXSports, one tweet set into motion the rumor that Taylor Swift and Austin Reaves were dating.
We found who started it: A Clippers employee, using a burner account.
foxsports.com/stories/nba/th… – 11:08 AM
Kamenetzky Brothers @KamBrothers
Given how Austin Reaves has spent his career as a plus-minus, advanced numbers darling, I found this exhange between him and LeBron that he shared in @MirinFader’s profile quite interesting. AK
theringer.com/nba/2023/10/17… pic.twitter.com/w4IWLSS6FT – 6:23 PM
Given how Austin Reaves has spent his career as a plus-minus, advanced numbers darling, I found this exhange between him and LeBron that he shared in @MirinFader’s profile quite interesting. AK
theringer.com/nba/2023/10/17… pic.twitter.com/w4IWLSS6FT – 6:23 PM
Dave McMenamin @mcten
Some more from Austin Reaves on his budding bromance with D’Angelo Russell pic.twitter.com/G6zFjAIx6w – 4:04 PM
Some more from Austin Reaves on his budding bromance with D’Angelo Russell pic.twitter.com/G6zFjAIx6w – 4:04 PM
Dave McMenamin @mcten
Austin Reaves offers up the motto “good comes to good,” saying he got the saying from a “good friend.” In the next breath he identifies the friend: D’Angelo Russell pic.twitter.com/6Ud3DVPVFc – 3:52 PM
Austin Reaves offers up the motto “good comes to good,” saying he got the saying from a “good friend.” In the next breath he identifies the friend: D’Angelo Russell pic.twitter.com/6Ud3DVPVFc – 3:52 PM
Mike Trudell @LakersReporter
Austin Reaves on how the Lakers look at the West: “We feel like we can compete with anybody. We just have to handle our business. We know what we need to be successful, it’s on us to go do it.” – 2:40 PM
Austin Reaves on how the Lakers look at the West: “We feel like we can compete with anybody. We just have to handle our business. We know what we need to be successful, it’s on us to go do it.” – 2:40 PM
Khobi Price @khobi_price
Austin Reaves working on ball-handling + pull-up shooting with Lakers assistant coach Phil Handy pic.twitter.com/aj6gq3f4lD – 2:37 PM
Austin Reaves working on ball-handling + pull-up shooting with Lakers assistant coach Phil Handy pic.twitter.com/aj6gq3f4lD – 2:37 PM
The Ringer @ringernba
It’s not just that Austin Reaves is a feel-good story exceeding expectations—he’s a star now, too.
@MirinFader: theringer.com/nba/2023/10/17… pic.twitter.com/s6ylUwc61f – 2:07 PM
It’s not just that Austin Reaves is a feel-good story exceeding expectations—he’s a star now, too.
@MirinFader: theringer.com/nba/2023/10/17… pic.twitter.com/s6ylUwc61f – 2:07 PM
Jovan Buha @jovanbuha
Darvin Ham with the mic drop to end his press conference when asked why he loves Austin Reaves so much: “… And he’s not afraid to tell Taylor Swift, ‘No.’” – 9:48 PM
Darvin Ham with the mic drop to end his press conference when asked why he loves Austin Reaves so much: “… And he’s not afraid to tell Taylor Swift, ‘No.’” – 9:48 PM
Mark Medina @MarkG_Medina
Lakers coach Darvin Ham said LeBron James, Austin Reaves, Jarred Vanderbilt and Jalen Hood-Schifino will be out today vs Bucks. Anthony Davis plans to play – 5:28 PM
Lakers coach Darvin Ham said LeBron James, Austin Reaves, Jarred Vanderbilt and Jalen Hood-Schifino will be out today vs Bucks. Anthony Davis plans to play – 5:28 PM
Khobi Price @khobi_price
LeBron James, Austin Reaves, Jarred Vanderbilt, Gabe Vincent and Jalen Hood-Schifino won’t be available against the Bucks. – 5:20 PM
LeBron James, Austin Reaves, Jarred Vanderbilt, Gabe Vincent and Jalen Hood-Schifino won’t be available against the Bucks. – 5:20 PM
Dave McMenamin @mcten
Darvin Ham says LeBron James, Austin Reaves, Gabe Vincent, Jarred Vanderbilt and Jalen Hood-Schifino will all be held out against MIL today. – 5:20 PM
Darvin Ham says LeBron James, Austin Reaves, Gabe Vincent, Jarred Vanderbilt and Jalen Hood-Schifino will all be held out against MIL today. – 5:20 PM
Jovan Buha @jovanbuha
Darvin Ham says LeBron James, Austin Reaves, Gabe Vincent, Jalen Hood-Schifino and Jarred Vanderbilt are out tonight vs. Milwaukee. – 5:19 PM
Darvin Ham says LeBron James, Austin Reaves, Gabe Vincent, Jalen Hood-Schifino and Jarred Vanderbilt are out tonight vs. Milwaukee. – 5:19 PM
More on this storyline
But Fahimullah’s intentions were apparently much purer. He just thought the rumor could be funny. “Austin is the trending boy, like the Lakers’ darling of the summer,” he said, explaining his choice of Reaves. “He just signed this [four-year, $54 million] deal. He’s going to Team USA. Also, the contrast between Austin Reaves and Taylor Swift makes it even funnier. Austin being this small-town kid, like a farmer. And Taylor Swift being this mega-superstar. So, I think that’s why I chose him.” When Fahimullah’s flight landed, his phone had so many notifications that he couldn’t believe his eyes. His tweet currently has 4.4 million views. -via FoxSports.com / October 18, 2023
NBA Central: LeBron James and Austin Reaves teaching Max Christie how to play Blackjack (h/t @Hexiyyy ) pic.twitter.com/hoT9zyxldt -via Twitter @TheNBACentral / October 18, 2023
But he snapped out of it, finishing strong in the second half of Game 3. Afterward, Reaves poked fun at himself and his 2-of-8 shooting performance, acknowledging that he hadn’t performed up to his standard. “Well,” he said to James and Davis, “I was plus-15.” Reaves was actually significantly better that night, finishing as a plus-31. But James just looked at him when he made the joke. He wasn’t laughing. “OK, plus-minus, it’s out of the window for you. You’re too good,” James said, according to Reaves. “Sometimes my plus-minus is minus-five, but that doesn’t mean anything for some guys.” -via The Ringer / October 17, 2023