Coachella Valley Lakers Promote Assistant Coach Alex Cerda To Coach

PALM DESERT, CA — The Coachella Valley Lakers announced Friday the promotion of assistant coach Alex Cerda to coach of the NBA G League team.

Cerda succeeds Zach Gurthrie who was promoted in July to be an assistant coach with the Lakers, the Coachella Valley Lakers' NBA parent team.

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Cerda spent the past three seasons as an assistant coach with the South Bay Lakers, who announced in April they would be moving to the Coachella Valley.

"I am incredibly grateful and honored for the opportunity to lead the Coachella Valley Lakers," Cerda said in a statement. "This organization has played an important role in my professional journey, and I have tremendous respect for the people, players and coaches who have helped me grow along the way.

"I'm excited to build on the foundation that has been established here and create a team that our players and fans can be proud of. My focus will be on developing a competitive, connected and resilient group that plays with purpose every night, while continuing to develop our players and prepare them for the next level."

Before joining the South Bay Lakers, Cerda was an assistant coach and offensive coordinator for the NBA G League's Texas Legends from 2021-23 following two seasons in the Los Angeles Clippers video department.

The Texas native began his professional coaching career with the NBA G League's Fort Wayne Mad Ants in 2016 as head video coordinator and player development coach.

"Alex has been an important part of our program for the last three seasons and we're excited for him to lead us into this next chapter," Coachella Valley Lakers general manager Nick Mazzella said in a statement.

"His ability to connect with players, his understanding of our development philosophy and his experience across the NBA and G League make him a natural fit for this role. We believe Alex will continue to build a program that prepares players to contribute at the NBA level while representing the standards of the Lakers organization."

Cerda is the 12th coach of the franchise which began play in 2006 as the Los Angeles D-Fenders then were rebranded as the South Bay Lakers in 2017.

The Coachella Valley Lakers are scheduled to open training camp Oct. 26 and begin their season Nov. 6 at Acrisure Arena against the Salt Lake City Stars.