Austin Reaves says he would love to take 2 years to see if he could go pro in golf

Los Angeles Lakers guard Austin Reaves said that he wants to take two years to challenge himself to see if he could become a professional golfer in some capacity.

“Definitely playing a lot of golf,” Reaves said when asked what he’ll be doing after basketball. “I wanna actually – I want to – I’ve thought about that. I just want to take two years and see if I could play professional somewhere. I don’t care if it’s like – I don’t care if it’s like Korn Ferry. There’s like an Asian Tour. I want to take two years and see – like challenge myself – to see if I can get that good.

“I’m obviously good now, but you have to be a different level of consistently good. And I want to see if I can get there.”

Reaves is already an impressive golfer, as he estimates that he’s about a 2 handicap. He also has social media accounts dedicated to his golf game called “Hillbilly Bogey.”

While it certainly would be a fun challenge for Reaves to pursue some day, Lakers fans are hoping that he remains in the NBA for several more seasons given how important he’s become to the team.

This season, Reaves has appeared in 21 games for the Lakers and is averaging 16.9 points, 3.6 rebounds and 5.0 assists per game while shooting 43.4 percent from the field and 35.7 percent from 3-point range. If his scoring average holds up for the entirety of the 2024-25 season, he will set a new career-high in points per game.

An undrafted free agent out of college, Reaves worked his way into the rotation for the Lakers starting in the 2021-22 season, and he’s been a key piece of the franchise’s roster ever since.

The Lakers rewarded Reaves prior to the 2023-24 season with a four-year deal worth nearly $54 million. Reaves is under contract with the Lakers through the 2025-26 season, and he has a player option for the 2026-27 season.

Hopefully, Reaves can help lead the Lakers to some postseason success over the next few seasons. Right now, the Lakers are the No. 10 seed in the Western Conference with a 14-12 record through their first 26 games of the 2024-25 campaign.

While basketball may be the challenge that Reaves is pursuing now and putting the most time into, it’s clear that he has a love for golf as well. Hopefully, Reaves can fulfill his dream of reaching the professional level in golf once his NBA career is behind him.