A Special Gift From ‘Hillbilly Kobe Bryant’ Induces Tearjerking Reaction From Black Mamba’s Nephew

Published 07/21/2023, 12:50 PM EDT

Only two seasons into his NBA career, Austin Reaves has exploded in popularity. But his recent act of kindness has proven he’s a wonderful person off the court too. Kobe Bryant’s sister, Shaya Bryant, reached out to the Los Angeles Lakers player with a request. The shooting guard delivered beyond her expectations. Reaves’ gesture moved the late Kobe Bryant’s teen nephew to tears, along with many fans. Reaves proves that a little kindness goes a long way. Matt Barnes helped facilitate the moment and he revealed the touching story on his podcast, All the Smoke.

Reaves grew up a diehard fan of the Lakers and Kobe Bryant. He’s even dubbed the Hillbilly Kobe. Signing with the franchise was a dream come true for him, and he renewed his contract with the Lakers on July 6. The new four-year contract is worth a whopping $56 million. Three months before re-signing, Reaves did a little thing for his idol’s family which was revealed only now.

Austin Reaves comes through for Kobe Bryant’s sister

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Austin Reaves appeared on All the Smoke with Matt Barnes and Stephen Jackson. The hosts and the current Lakers shooting guard shared a story in the interview that touched listeners’ hearts. According to Lakers Daily, Shaya Bryant reached out to her brother’s former teammate, Matt Barnes with a special request. She was hoping he could get her son, Logan’s favorite player to send him a birthday message. The player Logan is a fan of the Lakers’ rising star, Austin Reaves.

Barnes took the request to Reaves, and the latter promptly agreed. He recorded a message for Kobe’s 12-year-old nephew. Logan loved it so much he broke down in happy tears. “What’s up Logan? This is Austin,” he said in the surfaced clip. “I heard it’s your 12th birthday and I wanted to reach out and say happy birthday.”

This interaction happened during the NBA Playoffs this year. Reaves would’ve been busy with his team, but he took the time to do this for the Bryant family.“I sent it to Shaya, and her son broke down in tears. I sent back to him [Reaves],” Barnes told Reaves in the podcast. He further added, “Shaya wanted me to personally thank you for that birthday message.”

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Reaves played it humble as Barnes shared that story. He’s proving that despite his multi-million contracts, he’s still that down-to-earth Kobe fan.

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Reaves comes full circle as a Black Mamba fan

After growing up idolizing Kobe Bryant, Austin Reaves now has a fan in the late NBA star’s nephew. Hillbilly Kobe has certainly come a long way. He went undrafted in 2021 but signed a two-way contract with the Lakers. He earned a standard NBA contract the following month and now renewed his contract that will keep him with his dream franchise for four more years.

A once 13-year-old Austin shaded LeBron James in 2012 with a silly meme poking fun at King James for not winning a single NBA title back then. They’re teammates now and Reaves immediately apologized for his immature teen self. James simply laughed it off. While on All The Smoke, Reaves expressed his immense admiration for James.

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WATCH THIS STORY: “He Passed That Sunday”: Shaquille O’Neal’s 66YO Buddy Reminisces the “Surreal” Moment When the World Lost NBA Legend Kobe Bryant

It’s no wonder that young kids like Logan look up to Austin Reaves. What did you think about this sweet story? Share your opinions in the comments!

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Written by:

Caroline John is an NBA writer at EssentiallySports. She has been covering athletes outside the sports arena since the start of her reporting career. A writer at heart, she graduated with a degree in journalism from a reputed university.

Edited by:

Aayush Kapoor

A Special Gift From ‘Hillbilly Kobe Bryant’ Induces Tearjerking Reaction From Black Mamba’s Nephew

Austin Reaves comes through for Kobe Bryant’s sister

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Reaves comes full circle as a Black Mamba fan