Austin Reaves has poured cold water on dating rumors linking him with Taylor Swift, as the LA Lakers star insists that he’s ‘never met’ the popstar and that ‘it’s all bulls**t’.
Shortly after Swift’s breakup with Matt Healy – the lead vocalist of English indie pop rock band the 1975 – last month, multiple online sources and social media accounts hinted at Reaves meeting up with the ‘Anti-Hero’ singer at a bar in Arkansas.
However, when inquired by former NBA pros Matt Barnes and Stephen Jackson on whether he’s pursuing Swift, 33, romantically, Reaves, 25, denied all speculation.
‘I have never met her, never talked to her,’ he said on Friday’s episode of the show. It’s ‘all bulls***. I don’t know her.
‘I ain’t never talked to her.’
Austin Reaves, 25, has denied all romantic speculation linking him with US popstar Taylor Swift
Swift, 33, broke up with the 1975 lead vocalist Matt Healy in June & has been on tour in the US
Asked if he’d be ‘interested’ in making making a move on one of America’s biggest cultural icons, Reaves replied: ‘I’m staying out of the media.’
‘There you go, there you go!,’ then said Barnes. ‘He’s learning his LA [Lakers] media training. Don’t fall for that s**t.’
Reaves, who went undrafted in 2021, re-signed with the Lakers earlier this month for four-years in a deal worth $56million deal despite bigger contract offers from other teams, like the Houston Rockets and San Antonio Spurs, during his time as an NBA free agent.
The shooting guard has been in a relationship with Jenna Barber since 2014. Both are from Newark, Arkansas, and went to high school together, per online sources.
Reaves is now set to link up with Team USA for the FIBA World Cup in the Philippines, Japan and Indonesia, which starts on August 2.
Reaves has been in a relationship with Jenna Barber since 2014, as both are Arkansas natives
Reaves re-signed with the Lakers in July after a stellar season playing alongside LeBron James
He’ll be joined by other NBA stars, such as Anthony Edwards, of the Timberwolves, and the Magic’s Paolo Banchero on the roster.
Reaves will then look to continue his sharp shooting with the Lakers in his third NBA season in his career in the fall.
The Arkansas native appeared in 64 Lakers games (22 starts) last season, averaging 13.0 points (.529 FG percent, .398 3P percent), 3.0 rebounds and 3.4 assists in 28.8 minutes.
He joined Kevin Durant and Kawhi Leonard as the only players in the league to shoot at least 50.0 percent from the field, 39.0 percent from 3-point range and 85.0 percent from the free- throw line.
What’s more is that Reaves scored in double figures in 42 games, including 10 contests with 20+ points and one 30-point performance, according to NBA.com.
