The Los Angeles Lakers informed more than a dozen employees Wednesday they were being laid off as part of a reorganization under new franchise leadership, a source familiar with the situation told ESPN.
The Lakers' sale to businessman Mark Walter at a $10 billion valuation was approved by the NBA board of governors in October, after the team had been owned by the Buss family for nearly 50 years.
The franchise has already undergone significant changes in the past several months on the business side, with Lon Rosen being hired as president of business operations, replacing longtime president Tim Harris; Michael Spetner being hired as chief strategy and growth officer; and Ryan Kantor hired as vice president of global partnerships.
The layoffs Wednesday affected various departments including marketing, team communications, team content and corporate partnerships, sources told ESPN.
As the business side undergoes restructuring, the Lakers have continued to expand on the basketball side. Tony Bennett, a two-time Naismith Coach of the Year and NCAA championship coach at the University of Virginia, was hired by Lakers president of basketball operations and general manager, Rob Pelinka, as a draft consultant and advisor.
L.A. also hired Rohan Ramadas as its new assistant general manager of strategy and data systems this week.
During the team's annual end-of-season exit interviews news conference earlier this month, Pelinka said the team will be hiring an additional assistant GM focused on "pro scouting, draft scouting, player development."
And Pelinka said the Lakers would be investing in their infrastructure for player training by building a "biomechanics lab, new movement lab and a recovery lab" at their UCLA Health Training Center practice facility.
