Over the last couple of seasons under coach JJ Redick, the Los Angeles Lakers have seemingly placed more of a priority on player development. Part of that has meant working to bring young players along while playing for the South Bay Lakers, their G League affiliate.
Now, a big change is coming to the G League Lakers as soon as next season. They will be moving from the South Bay portion of the greater Los Angeles area to the Coachella Valley, which is located in Riverside County and is roughly two hours east of downtown Los Angeles.
Their home games will now be played at the Acrisure Arena near Palm Desert, Calif. It is a venue where the NBA’s Lakers have held preseason games for years.
“Moving the Lakers G League team to the Coachella Valley is an incredible opportunity for the organization,” said Los Angeles Lakers President of Business Operations Lon Rosen. “The Lakers have had a strong presence in the region for decades, from the Showtime Lakers holding training camp in the 1980s to more recent preseason games. We are looking forward to extending that experience and becoming a staple for Coachella Valley sports and entertainment. Acrisure Arena is the perfect modern venue that provides an incredible fan-first experience, while ensuring players have the premium facilities and space they need on game day.”
The Coachella Valley is, of course, best known to Southern Californians and other people in the general region as the site of the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, which is held every April and features some of the biggest bands and artists in music. Now, the Coachella Valley will have something else to offer visitors in terms of entertainment.
The G League Lakers were founded in 2006 as the Los Angeles D-Fenders, and they became known as the Lakers in 2017. This season, they went 26-10 in the regular season and made it all the way to the G League’s Western Conference finals.
This article originally appeared on LeBron Wire: The G League’s South Bay Lakers are making a huge change
Reporting by Robert Marvi, LeBron Wire / LeBron Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
