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Long before her budding relationship with Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, there was Taylor Swift’s “rumored” romance with Lakers guard Austin Reaves.
Months after an X user linked Swift, 33, to Reaves, 25, in a now-viral tweet from June, the mastermind behind the fabricated coupling is speaking out — and happens to be a Lakers rival.
“Austin is the trending boy, like the Lakers’ darling of the summer,” said Zain Fahimullah, a social media design associate for the Clippers, in a recent interview with Fox Sports.
“He just signed this [four-year, $54 million] deal. He’s going to Team USA. 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.”
On the heels of Swift’s breakup with the 1975’s Matty Healy, which had become a trending topic at the time, Fahimullah wanted to contribute to the conversation via his burner account.
Following her breakup, Taylor Swift was reportedly seen in an Arkansas Bar this weekend with star Laker basketball player Austin Reaves pic.twitter.com/tpRhfz3V4g
— The Refrigerator (@RefrigeratorLAL) June 5, 2023The message: “Following her breakup, Taylor Swift was reportedly seen in an Arkansas Bar this weekend with star Laker basketball player Austin Reaves.”
And the result? 4.4 million views on X.
“Since I’m working for the Clippers, I didn’t want to tweet it off my main, so I tweeted it off there,” Fahimullah said.
Reaves, who called the Swift buzz “all bulls–t” in July, also recounted the moment he got wind of the rumor.
“I was playing cards with my brother, my best friend and my girlfriend, actually. I said something [about it] and she looked at me and was like, ‘Yeah, I’ve seen that,'” said Reaves, who received the tweet in a message from a friend.
“I was like, ‘Yeah, one night when you were asleep I just snuck away and went to a bar.’ She obviously laughed about it and said, ‘If it were at a golf course, I would’ve been a little more worried.'”
Swift has since become the NFL’s darling as her relationship with Kelce, 34, continues to blossom.
The two were first linked in September, the same month the pop megastar attended the Chiefs’ win over the Bears at Arrowhead Stadium in Week 3.
The 12-time Grammy winner was joined by Kelce’s mother, Donna.
More recently, the pair were spotted enjoying the New York City nightlife, pictured holding hands for the first time.
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