The Los Angeles Lakers have had to manage without one of their best players for about six weeks, as standout guard Austin Reaves has been sidelined with a grade 2 calf strain that he suffered on Christmas Day against the Houston Rockets.
The Lakers were steadily losing ground without Reaves in the lineup, as they’re 5-5 in their past 10 games and have slipped to the No. 6 spot in the Western Conference standings.
Los Angeles Lakers guard Austin Reaves (15) against Phoenix Suns guard Jordan Goodwin (23). | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
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Reaves surely wanted nothing more than to be back with his team in the wake of this injury. However, his not being able to compete meant that he could spend more time with his longtime girlfriend, Jenna Barber.
Barber and Reaves have been dating since they met at New Jersey’s Cedar Ridge High School in 2014 and are still going strong.
Jenna Barber and Austin Reaves | Jenna Barber/Instagram
RELATED: Lakers star Austin Reaves’ gf Jenna posts emotional note hinting at injury update
Whenever Barber posts something involving her boyfriend, fans are always trying to unpack what she’s saying and whether she might be hinting at his injury return.
But they don’t need to do this any longer, as Reaves returned to the court during the Lakers’ February 3 game against the Brooklyn Nets.
Barber just celebrated Reaves’ 27th birthday on May 29. | Jenna Barber/Instagram
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Jenna Barber Shares Heartfelt Message As Austin Reaves Returns From Injury
Since the Lakers’ game is in New York, Barber had to watch her boyfriend return to the court on TV. And she commemorated this moment with an Instagram story post that showed Reaves entering the game for the first time.
“6 weeks later & my show is back on 🤗,” the story was captioned.
Jenna Barber’s February 3 Instagram story post. | Instagram/@jennabarberr
Reaves came off the bench during the game and isn’t playing his normal minutes as a way to ease him back to the court.
But Los Angeles is surely excited to have him back in action as they gear up for another run to the postseason.
Jenna Barber/Instagram
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