Lakers hire Dr. Vanessa Brooks as head athletic trainer and senior physical therapist
The Lakers have hired Dr. Vanessa Brooks, formerly of the Thunder, as their new head athletic trainer and senior physical therapist.
On Friday, the Lakers announced the hiring of Dr. Vanessa Brooks as their head athletic trainer and senior physical therapist.
Jovan Buha of The Athletic was the first to report the hire and the franchise officially announced it moments later.
The Lakers are hiring Vanessa Brooks as their head athletic trainer and senior physical therapist, sources told @TheAthletic. Brooks was previously with the No. 1 seed Oklahoma City Thunder.
— Jovan Buha (@jovanbuha) September 28, 2024
Brooks previously worked for the Oklahoma City Thunder. When she joined the NBA in 2019, she became the first Black woman to be dual-certified as an athletic trainer and physical therapist.
Her resume is extensive, including an undergrad from Georgia, a doctorate degree from Emory University in Atlanta, and she did sports medicine work at Duke.
The Duke connection on the Lakers is suddenly very strong.
Head coach JJ Redick is a Duke alumnus, as is Lindsey Harding, who joined his staff and played there before transitioning into coaching. Harding was named the 2023 G League Coach of the Year due to her work running the Stockton Kings, Sacramento's G League affiliate.
With training camp just days away, this role is a crucial one that needed to be filled immediately.
Fans noticed the gap in the Lakers' staff earlier this month due to a job opening on the organization's LinkedIn account.
I’m kidding. But the Lakers do have a few openings, one being the head athletic trainer. pic.twitter.com/4qMoBHDsau
— Anthony F. Irwin (@AnthonyIrwinLA) September 11, 2024
Hopefully, the job of head athletic trainer is one Lakers fans will rarely hear about, except for when a player says something glowingly about the treatment they are getting.
With players like Christian Wood and Jarred Vanderbilt currently out to begin training camp, Brooks will start working with them regarding the best ways to work on their recovery.
Brooks is the most recent, but far from the only new hire the Lakers have done this summer.
Redick has an entirely new staff with no previous assistants kept; the Lakers G League affiliate, the South Bay Lakers, hired Zach Guthrie and Ty Abbott is the director of player development.
So, while the roster is largely the same minus the two new rookies, the 2024-25 Lakers will have many new faces on the bench and behind the scenes, ensuring the play on the court is optimized to bring fans sustained Lakers excellence.
You can follow Edwin on Twitter at @ECreates88.