Ahead Of Palm Springs Suns Game, Showtime Lakers Look Back At Their Time In The Desert

The Los Angeles Lakers have one more preseason game this year, and it will take place later today against the Phoenix Suns. The game will be played down in the Palm Springs area, specifically in Thousand Palms, at the brand-new Acrisure Arena.

This is the first time in a while that the Lakers will be playing a game down in the area, but it’s a familiar location for this franchise. The team used to hold training camp here back in the day, and it was a favorite spot for their former owner.

“For the first time in many years, the Lakers are heading 120 miles almost directly east, to sunny Palm Springs, one of the favorite locals of Dr. Jerry Buss back in the day. In the late 1980’s and early 1990’s, the Lakers often held training camp in Palm Springs, and on Thursday, they’ll be playing a preseason game against the Phoenix Suns in the brand new Acrisure Arena*, giving local fans of the Purple and Gold a chance to see the Lake Show up close and personal.”

Per Mike Trudell of NBA.com

The team radio analyst Mychal Thompson will be in attendance for the game, and he remembers what the training camps were like back in the day.

“Hell!” he exclaimed when asked what a Pat Riley training camp was like. “That’s all it was. Pure hell. Are you kidding me?”

Per Mychal Thompson via NBA.com

It has been reported that former head coach Pat Riley worked the guys hard during training camp to get them ready for the regular season. It worked in the end, as the Lakers saw a ton of success on the court, but the players weren’t fans of it at the moment.

“I don’t understand how anybody complains in the league today compared to what we did. But we expected it. We were in great shape. We were ready for it.”

Per Mychal Thompson via NBA.com

It seems that while the current version of the Lakers won’t be training like that, they can still enjoy the perks of the Palm Springs area for themselves. This will be the final showcase for the team before the regular season starts next week, and the team is very excited to finally get things going after a long summer.

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