The Taylor Swift And Austin Reaves Dating Rumors Explained
Taylor Swift might not have a track out about Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce (yet), but she has immortalized plenty of her ex-boyfriends in song. This emerged as a theme in her eponymous debut album, and Swift has continued to do what she does best — leverage her relationships to relate to people through song — ever since. The singer-songwriter typically remains coy about which song is about whom, but Swifties have done all the theorizing for us. Per Popsugar, Swift's discography features sweet ballads like "Back to December" (rumored to be about her ex, Taylor Lautner), catchy pop hits including "I Forgot That You Existed" (speculated to be about her ex, Calvin Harris), revenge tracks targeted at Kanye "Ye" West, and everything in between.
But one supposed ex-boyfriend is never mentioned in Swift's songs. Circa June 2023, she was linked to Los Angeles Lakers star Austin Reaves, but it turns out that the whole relationship was just a rumor. At that point, the Grammy winner had recently split from The 1975 frontman Matty Healy, whom fans assumed to be a rebound following her six-year relationship with British actor Joe Alwyn. It was a time when rumors were flying thick and wild as everyone speculated about who Swift would date next — and, according to the New York Post, one Internet user fabricated the whole Reaves-Swift romance for fun. Swift didn't comment on it, but Reaves later debunked the gossip.
Who created the tweet?
In June 2023, a viral tweet from @RefrigeratorLAL hinted that Taylor Swift and Austin Reaves were an item. "Following her breakup [from Matty Healy], Taylor Swift was reportedly seen in an Arkansas Bar this weekend with star Laker basketball player Austin Reaves," it read. This fake tweet was perpetrated by Zain Fahimullah, an employee for the LA Clippers who simply wanted to join the trending conversation after Healy and Swift parted ways. "Austin is the trending boy, like the Lakers' darling of the summer," Fahimullah told Fox Sports, explaining why he'd picked Reaves as Swift's potential lover. "Also, the contrast between Austin Reaves and Taylor Swift makes it even funnier. Austin being this small-town kid, like a farmer. And Taylor Swift being this mega-superstar. So, I think that's why I chose him."
Fahimullah, who works in social media, went on to explain that he "make[s] a lot of memes," but this post received more attention than anything else he'd created. It created such a stir that even Reaves heard about it. "I just started laughing," the basketball player told Fox Sports. "I was playing cards with my brother, my best friend, and my girlfriend." Thankfully, Reaves' girlfriend wasn't suspicious of Swift. According to him, "[She said], 'If it were at a golf course, I would've been a little more worried,'" joking about Reaves' love of golfing.
But fans wanted the rumor to be true. The Spun reported that the crowds at Reaves' basketball games chanted Taylor Swift's name throughout the summer.
How did Zain Fhimullah and Austin Reaves react?
Zain Fahimullah was initially entertained that his tweet kicked up a stir, but he's embarrassed by it now. "I felt kind of bad once it started blowing up and people started talking to Austin about it," Fahimullah told Fox Sports. "I was like, 'Damn.' I felt like he shouldn't have to be answering these questions. I felt really bad." Even his sister (a Swiftie!) dragged him over his social media meddling. And Fahimullah has a point; for a few months, Austin Reaves couldn't get an interview in without people asking him about Taylor Swift. In July, the NBA star appeared on the "All The Smoke" podcast, where hosts Matt Barnes and Stephen Jackson wanted to know if the rumors were true. "I have never met [Taylor], never talked to her," Reaves answered. "All bulls**t. They said we were in a bar in Arkansas. That's crazy. ... It's not true."
What isn't a rumor is Swift's mega-popularity and legions of hard-core Swifties. When the pop star began dating Travis Kelce in September, viewership for Sunday Night Football shot up 17%, and Fanatics reported "a nearly 400% in sales [of Travis's jersey]," per NPR. Travis might currently be the most famous tight end in the NFL, but he still can't sell out Arrowhead Stadium by himself, as Swift did during her Eras tour. "This is another level of stardom that typically football players don't deal with," his older brother Jason Kelce told Vanity Fair in October.