Lakers News: Leroy Sims Takes Charge as Director of Player Performance and Health

The Los Angeles Lakers have announced the hiring of Dr. Leroy Sims as their new Director of Player Performance and Health.

Sims brings a wealth of experience from his previous role as Senior Vice President and Head of Medical Operations for the NBA, where he played a key part in establishing the league's bubble environment during the 2020 season.

In his new position, Sims will report directly to Rob Pelinka , the Lakers' Vice President of Basketball Operations and General Manager. He will be responsible for overseeing player medical care and enhancing overall health and performance for the team.

Sims has an impressive background, having served as the team physician for USA Track & Field during the 2016 Olympics and working with USA Basketball for the 2020 and 2024 Olympic teams.

He also held the role of medical director and team physician for the Golden State Warriors from 2011 to 2014.

He earned both his bachelor's and medical degrees from Stanford University and completed his residency in Emergency Medicine at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center.

His experience during the pandemic, particularly in the bubble, has positioned him as a prominent figure in sports medicine.

In an interview with Marc Spears at Andscape he was talked about a variety of topics, but on the bubble he said,

"I have a visibility that I didn’t have previously. And it has led to giving me the opportunity to share with the world some of my thoughts and feelings as it relates to medicine, as it relates to sports, as it relates to the pandemic in particular, and as it relates to the Black community and things that I feel very passionate about.

"So, I have been able to share my feelings about increasing the population of underrepresented minorities in medicine and trying to improve the pipelines."

"I’ve been able to talk about disparities in health care in a more public platform. And most recently I did an interview with San Mateo County [California] Health, talking about the vaccine.

"And so it’s been an opportunity to externalize some of the thoughts I’ve had, some of the career objectives that I’ve wanted to pursue. And so that’s really what has changed for me."

While the Lakers did not announce any changes to their existing medical staff, this new role suggests an expansion of their health and performance team as they prepare for the upcoming season.