TITLE: Lakers To Shift G League Affiliate To Coachella Valley Next Season
SLUG: lakers-g-league-move-to-coachella-valley
CONTENT:
The Los Angeles Lakers will relocate their G League affiliate to California’s Coachella Valley for the 2026/27 campaign, the organization announced. Beginning next season, the club will be known as the Coachella Valley Lakers and will stage home contests at Acrisure Arena in Palm Desert.
Since 2017, the affiliate—currently called the South Bay Lakers—has played at the UCLA Health Training Center in El Segundo, which also serves as the NBA team’s practice facility. That venue seats roughly 750 spectators, making it one of the league’s smallest. Acrisure Arena, opened in December 2022, can accommodate more than 11,000 fans.
“Moving the Lakers G League team to the Coachella Valley is an incredible opportunity for the organization,” said Lon Rosen, the Lakers’ president of business operations, in a prepared statement. He noted the franchise’s long-standing ties to the area, from the “Showtime” era training camps of the 1980s to recent preseason games. “Acrisure Arena is the perfect modern venue that provides an incredible fan-first experience, while ensuring players have the premium facilities and space they need on game day,” Rosen added.
While NBA clubs often bring their G League teams closer to home to streamline player movement and access to staff, the Lakers will keep their affiliate within reasonable proximity and simultaneously broaden their regional footprint. Observers see the move as a chance to tap new fans and revenue streams.
In their final season as the South Bay Lakers, the team finished 26-10, securing the Western Conference’s top seed before falling to the Stockton Kings in the conference finals.
Source: HoopsRumors
