Lorena Martin will be the new director of sports performance analytics. She most recently completed three years of postdoctoral research at University of California, San Diego, and has post-doctorates in epidemiology, biostatistics, and in GIS spatial analysis, as well as a doctorate in exercise physiology to go along with both master’s and bachelor’s degrees in psychology.

Jae Kim, who was most recently the analytics manager for the University of California men’s basketball team, will be a basketball data analyst.

Sean Light, who spent the past four seasons as a strength and conditioning coach in the Arizona Diamondbacks farm system, will be assistant strength and conditioning coach.

According to ESPN's Ramona Shelburne, the Lakers and president Magic Johnson's fears were assuaged when Johnson and LaVar had a sit-down talk and LaVar made a rare, honest confession to Magic: it's all marketing.

"But when the Lakers came to his house, LaVar broke character — or caricature — and said the one thing professional hype masters never reveal.

"'He just said it's marketing,' Johnson says. 'That's what he had to do to market not only his son but the brand. Before I met him I had already thought that. I already knew what he was doing.'

"But hearing it straight from LaVar's mouth helped put Johnson and Pelinka at ease.

"As Johnson recalls, 'He said, "Earvin, look, I'm not following my son. I'm not going to be hanging out in L.A. I'm going to be training these young kids [his other sons].'""

Additionally, LaVar told Shelburne that he told Johnson that Lonzo was in Johnson's hands now.

"'As far as training my boy, this is as far as I can take him,' LaVar says he told Johnson. 'I'll leave it up to you to take him further. You can get him better with the film time and the coaching. You can take him to another level.'"

"'I trust you with my boy. I just got a great feeling that you guys are going to take Zo to a whole other level.'"