The Los Angeles Lakers strengthened their union with point guard Luka Doncic on Monday by hiring one of his former Dallas Mavericks coaches.
NBA insider Marc Stein first reported that the Lakers hired Jeremy Holsopple as the team's head strength and conditioning coach.
The Lakers are hiring Jeremy Holsopple as their new head strength and conditioning coach, @TheSteinLine has learned.
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) August 11, 2025
As Dallas’ athletic performance director, Holsopple was named as the NBA's top strength and conditioning coach in March 2021.
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Holsopple Spent Six Seasons as Doncic's Strength and Conditioning Coach in Dallas
The Lakers began the process of searching for a strength and conditioning coach in mid-May, shortly after the team was eliminated in the first round of the 2025 NBA playoffs.
After the postseason exit, head coach J.J. Redick emphasized the team's need "to get in championship shape."
Holsopple is a logical hire considering his prior connection with the Lakers' star guard. He worked for the Dallas Mavericks from September 2013 until July 2024. According to an ESPN report following the shocking Doncic-Anthony Davis trade, Holsopple had forged a strong working relationship with Doncic in the years since he was selected No. 3 overall in the 2018 NBA Draft before being fired.
"They get rid of everybody I liked," an ESPN source quoted Doncic as saying in the aftermath.
Holsopple inherits a new-look Doncic after a transformative offseason.
In July, the five-time first-team All-NBA guard made headlines for a Men's Health cover shoot that featured a trimmed-down Doncic, a sharp rebuke of claims following his Mavs departure about his conditioning.
"Luka Doncic 2.0 Has Entered the Chat," the headline read.
Earlier this month, Doncic solidified his commitment to the Lakers by agreeing to a three-year, $165 million extension with a 2028-29 player option.
As Los Angeles transitions from building a contender around LeBron James to constructing one around Doncic, getting Holsopple in the building is a shrewd move.
Unlike the Mavericks, the Lakers are wisely doing everything possible to keep their star happy.