Kurt Rambis and Johnny Davis have accepted assistant coaching positions with the Los Angeles Lakers, the team announced on Monday.
Kurt Rambis, Johnny Davis officially join Lakers coaching staff
By way of Twitter, Kurt Rambis announced his agreement to join the Los Angeles Lakers as an assistant coach.
Christian Petersen
“Kurt and Johnny bring many years of NBA experience both as coaches and as former players to this team,” said Lakers Head Coach Mike D’Antoni in a release. “Kurt is a great basketball mind, extremely good at working with big men and his experience as a head coach in this league is going to prove very helpful to our staff. Johnny is a two-time NBA head coach with years of experience playing as well as coaching in this league. The vast array of NBA knowledge he brings to the table will be invaluable to us.”
Rambis joins Mike D’Antoni’s staff as a bridge between the past and the future. He announced his decision to move away from the ESPN studio -- where he has most recently served as an NBA analyst -- and back to the Lakers’ bench on Twitter.
Silver Screen and Roll: More on the Lakers' offseason
A former head coach of the Minnesota Timberwolves, Rambis' connection to the Lakers goes back to his playing days. He spent nine seasons with Los Angeles as a player and later was the lead assistant from 2001-04 and again from 2005-09. Rambis served under coach Phil Jackson and implemented defensive schemes that made Los Angeles a top defensive squad thanks in part to his "strong side zone," as Lakers blog Silver Screen and Roll notes.
Rambis was seen at the Las Vegas Summer League alongside D’Antoni, creating speculation that the agreement to join Los Angeles’ coaching staff had already been made.
Davis spent the last two years working under coach Dwane Casey in Toronto. He has been an assistant with the Memphis Grizzlies (2007-11), Indiana Pacers (2006-07) and Timberwolves (2005-06).
Rambis and Davis will join fellow assistants Larry Lewis, Mark Madsen and Dan D'Antoni.
More from SB Nation:
See More:
