The South Bay Lakers of the G League officially announced Miles Simon as the new head coach of the team.
This news had been in the works since mid-August when talks between the two sides were reported. It came after Coby Karl, former head coach of South Bay and son of former NBA coach George Karl, was reportedly not returning for the upcoming season.
Simon has been an assistant with the Lakers since 2017 and played a role for the Summer League teams in 2017 and 2018 when L.A. made the championship game both years
“I couldn’t be happier to continue my career with the Lakers organization as South Bay’s head coach. It is an honor to lead such a successful franchise and I look forward to working with our team both on and off the court,” Simon said in the release. “South Bay has a strong track record of developing NBA talent and I can’t wait to build upon our history as one of the top teams in the NBA G League. After winning the NBA world championship in 2020 with the Lakers, I expect to bring that pedigree to South Bay as well. I want to thank Jeanie, Rob, Kurt, Frank, Joey and Nick for the opportunity and I can’t wait to get to work.”
Simon will play a crucial part in developing two-way players Austin Reaves and Joel Ayayi. Mac McClung and Chaundee Brown could be members of the team as well.
In the 2019-20 season, South Bay posted a 19-25 record, which was second-to-last place in the Pacific Division, before COVID-19 canceled the remainder of the campaign. South Bay did not participate in the 2020-21 G League bubble.
