The Los Angeles Lakers have promoted Jordan Wilkes to Director of Player Development and Josh Wright to Assistant Strength and Conditioning Coach, and have hired Kristen Andrews as Manager of Nutrition and Wellness, and Adi Vase as Assistant Strength and Conditioning Coach, it was announced today.
With the team since the 2013-14 season, Wilkes is responsible for assisting General Manager Rob Pelinka in the day-to-day operations of the team, focusing on the personal growth of the players on the roster, while providing resources and assisting in the development of life skills off the court and outside of basketball. The L.A. native and University of California, Berkeley graduate spent the last three seasons as a basketball operations assistant with the Lakers, managing player databases, scouting local college and NBA games, scheduling draft workouts and offseason activities, as well as directing Camp Lakers in the summers of 2015 and 2016.
Andrews joins the Lakers staff after spending the 2016-17 MLS season as the Sports Performance Dietitian for the Los Angeles Galaxy. Responsible for the team’s nutrition and wellness program, Andrews creates and implements nutrition support strategies to maximize player fitness, performance and recovery. A graduate of the University of Arkansas with a Master’s of Science from Cal State-Long Beach, Andrews also arranges all team meals throughout the season, both at home and on the road.
Vase and Wright round out Gunnar Peterson’s strength and conditioning staff. Most recently an Athletic Development Quality Assurance Assistant with the San Antonio Spurs, Vase also has prior experience with the Universities of Kentucky and Oregon. Wright has been promoted to his new position after joining the staff last year as a coaching assistant and was responsible for coaching-staff wellness throughout the year.
