Over the last year, the Los Angeles Lakers have put an added emphasis on player development, knowing they will need to win on the margins to be successful in today’s NBA given the constraints of the collective bargaining agreement.
That includes strength and conditioning in order to keep players healthy, which has been a struggle in recent years. The Lakers have been in search of a new head strength and conditioning coach, and it appears they have found their man.
According to NBA insider Marc Stein, the Lakers are bringing in former Dallas Mavericks athletic performance director Jeremy Holsopple to fill that role:
The Lakers are hiring Jeremy Holsopple as their new head strength and conditioning coach, @TheSteinLine has learned.
As Dallas’ athletic performance director, Holsopple was named as the NBA's top strength and conditioning coach in March 2021.
More NBA: https://t.co/6DCqjEwAvw
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) August 11, 2025
Holsopple was with the Mavericks for a decade from 2013-24 before being let go. As Stein mentioned, he was named the NBA’s Strength & Conditioning Coach of the Year in 2021 and notably worked with current Lakers star Luka Doncic.
When the Lakers recently signed Doncic to a contract extension, president of basketball operations and general manager Rob Pelinka went out of his way to thank the team of people that work with Doncic for their hard work and dedication, whether that be on the basketball or business side.
The main reason the Mavericks and specifically general manager Nico Harrison decided to trade Doncic to the Lakers was because they didn’t believe the superstar was in great shape and had a good enough work ethic to maintain his greatness over the course of a long-term extension.
Harrison’s dismay with his staff members went back to the season before when Holsopple was notably let go just days after the team was eliminated in the NBA Finals. Now, Doncic will be reunited with Holsopple in L.A., who will help him maintain his current level of fitness which is already much-improved.
Luka Doncic appreciated Lakers organization welcoming him with open arms
The Lakers hiring Jeremy Holsopple is the latest example of the organization trying to make Luka Doncic feel comfortable since acquiring him. In fact, he recently expressed his appreciation to the Lakers for welcoming him with open arms.
“I just want to say thank you. Like I said in Spanish, you guys welcomed me with open arms,” Doncic said of the Lakers. “Thank you Mark (Walter), thank you Jeanie (Buss), JJ (Redick), Rob (Pelinka). The whole organization welcomed me with open arms and I can’t wait to get started.”
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