It has been a busy offseason for the Los Angeles Lakers, one that has resulted in a new-look roster that is brimming with young talent as well as future flexibility. However, the changes haven’t solely occurred on the court.
Not only are Magic Johnson and Rob Pelinka settling into their roles at the helm of the basketball operations department, but the franchise is also moving their headquarters to the brand new, state of the art UCLA Health Training Center.
The Lakers have occupied their El Segundo practice facility since 2000, and over the past 17 years, there have been a lot of memories made there. In that span, the team has won five championships and seen a number of stars come and go. They also lost beloved owner Dr. Jerry Buss, who passed away in 2013.
His daughter, President Jeanie Buss, recently discussed the move with Bill Oram of the Southern California News Group:
“It’s bittersweet,” Jeanie Buss said Friday as she sat across the hall from the office she inherited from her dad, Dr. Jerry Buss, and picked at a humble final supper of takeout Mexican food. “This place has been really good. … It’s like closing a chapter.”
For Jeanie, leaving the facility also means leaving behind her father’s office, but as the team transitions into the future, a new practice facility will allow the team to impress prospective free agents as well as develop their core with the best equipment available.
For a team banking on signing a pair of major free agents next summer, the opening of their new facility couldn’t have come at a better time, and the memories from their previous home will never be forgotten.
