Report: Lakers’ Lionel Hollins is ‘high risk’ and won’t be in Orlando
By John Likanje
The Los Angeles Lakers’ assistant is considered a ‘high-risk’ individual due to underlying health conditions.
The Lakers lost another key cog of their core last week. First, it was starting shooting guard Avery Bradley. Now it’s assistant coach Lionel Hollins. Hollins was labeled a ‘high risk’ individual due to his age (66) and underlying health conditions and not added to the team’s traveling party list (via ESPN).
“There are several members of our staff that we’re not going to be able to bring into the bubble that, quite frankly, we need in the bubble,” head coach Frank Vogel informed reporters in an interview Thursday. “But the environment just doesn’t allow us to do that and that’s just part of the pandemic life and the situation we’re in.”
Hollins will continue to be an essential coaching staff member and work remotely from home.
Will not having Lionel Hollins affect the Los Angeles Lakers’ title hopes?
This is a blow to the Lakers who are considered one of the top championship contenders this year along with the Los Angeles Clippers and Milwaukee Bucks. Hollins is an essential member of a coaching staff featuring Phil Handy, a former assistant for the 2016 Cleveland Cavaliers title team, and Jason Kidd.
Hollins brought plenty of NBA experience of his own. He was drafted sixth overall by the Portland Trail Blazers in 1975 and earned one All-Star appearance in four and a half years with the club. Hollins then spent two and a half seasons with Philadelphia and short stints in San Diego, Detroit and Houston before retiring at the age of 31.
Hollins brought 25 years of NBA coaching experience as well. The former All-Star began as a Phoenix Suns assistant in 1988. Hollins has also coached in Vancouver (1995-2000), Memphis (2002-2007, 2008-2013) and Brooklyn (2014-2016).
The Lakers are in danger of losing backup center Dwight Howard as well. Howard expressed his concerns about the NBA restarting the season amidst the coronavirus pandemic and the Black Lives Matter movement. The team is currently compromising with him and his agent ahead of July 7 when most squads are expected to fly to the ESPN World Wide of Sports in Orlando.
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“I think our level of care for every individual, for every player, for every member of our staff, needs to be at the highest possible level,” general manager Rob Pelinka said in an interview Tuesday. “And I think that’s our goal is that everyone deserves the highest standard of medical care and safety. That’s the way we’re looking at it as an organization is every person, regardless of their circumstance, deserves 10 out of 10 attention to detail, care and measures around safety as we venture into what we are with the Orlando restart.”
The Lakers are scheduled to resume their season on July 30 against the Clippers. Tip-off is set for 9 p.m. ET and will air on the Turner Sports Network.