Reaves was born and grew up in Fairfax, Virginia. He and his older brother were raised in a single parent household by his mother, Liset Reaves, after his father died when he was six years old. He initially attended Paul VI Catholic High School, where he played both basketball and soccer. As a junior, Reaves was named team captain and averaged 12.6 points per game and was named All-Washington Metro Area as the Panthers won the Washington Catholic Athletic Conference, VISAA Division I State championship, and the Alhambra Catholic Invitational. Reaves transferred to Oak Hill Academy before his senior year. Ranked the 74th-best recruit in the nation and second in state by ESPN.com, Reaves committed to play college basketball at Penn State over offers from Temple, Villanova, Maryland, VCU and Georgetown. He was named Oak Hill's captain as the team went 47–1 and was ranked seventh nationally by MaxPreps in his only season.
College career
Reaves played four seasons as a member of the Penn State Nittany Lions. He started 20 games as a freshman and appeared in six more off the bench, despite missing time due to a bout with Mononucleosis, averaging 6.4 points, 3.6 rebounds, 1.3 steals and 0.9 blocks. As a sophomore, Reaves averaged 7.7 points and four rebounds per game while leading the Big Ten with 2.14 steals per game. In his junior season, Reaves averaged 10.6 points, 5.1 reboundsand 3.2 assists per game and again led the Big Ten with 2.18 steals per game and was named to the Big Ten All-Defensive Team. He was named the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year, All-Defensive Team, and honorable mention all-conference as a senior after averaging 10.6 points, five rebounds, 2.9 assists and 1.0 blocks per game and leading the Big Ten for the third straight season with 2.5 steals per game. Reaves finished his collegiate career with 1,079 career points, 540 rebounds, 310 assists and 92 shots blocked and set the school record with 250 steals. Following the end of his senior season, Reaves was invited to play in the Portsmouth Invitational Tournament, where he was named to the All-Tournament team.
Professional career
After going unselected in the 2019 NBA Draft, Reaves was named to the Dallas Mavericks Summer League roster and averaged 12.6 points, 4.8 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 1.2 steals and one block per game over five games. Reaves signed a two-way contract with the Mavericks on July 29, 2019. Reaves made his NBA debut on January 2, 2020, playing the final minute of the 123–111 win against the Brooklyn Nets.
Career statistics
College statistics
Personal
Reaves' mother is a native of Bolivia and his uncle played soccer professionally. His older brother, Michael, played college football at Shepherd University.
