The atmosphere at the Los Angeles Lakers in recent days has been hotter than ever after the incident in which Deandre Ayton — the new center who just joined the team — exploded emotionally on live television, aimed directly at Austin Reaves, a teammate who was once considered a “close brother” in the locker room.
The source of the incident began after the tense loss to the Denver Nuggets. In the post-game press conference, Austin Reaves was said to have repeatedly mentioned “the wrong pass at the right time”, implying that Ayton had caused the Lakers to lose their attacking rhythm in important coordination.
Although Reaves did not mention the name, the audience and experts all knew who he was talking about. And just a few hours later, Ayton fired back on television, causing the entire online community to “explode”:
“I don’t know who he thinks he is. Don’t say I passed the wrong pass — he doesn’t even understand the team’s strategy! I just did what the coach asked me to.”
Ayton’s reaction went viral on social media. The hashtag #AytonVsReaves quickly became a top trending topic in the US, with thousands of comments divided into different camps:
One side said Reaves was “unprofessional” when referring to his teammate in the media.
The other side said Ayton was “overreacting” and was trying to cover up his inconsistent performance.
According to an inside source from ESPN, the Lakers coaching staff held an emergency locker room meeting to “clear up the misunderstanding” between the two stars before the situation escalated.
An assistant coach revealed:
“We understand Ayton is under a lot of pressure since he first joined the team. But this public reaction is definitely not helpful for the team.”
Meanwhile, LeBron James is said to be trying to play the role of “mediator”, advising the two to “sit down and talk like grown men.”
The Lakers are currently in the testing phase of the lineup with Ayton — the new center from Portland. However, if internal tensions do not cool down soon, the “purple-gold team” may face a locker room crisis right from the start of the season.
🏀 Fan comments:
“Reaves should learn to take responsibility, not blame.”
“And Ayton? He needs to understand that the Lakers are not the Phoenix Suns — every word counts!”
🔥 One thing is for sure: the season has only just begun, but the drama in Los Angeles has already exploded!