Former Malta international Tevin Falzon will be taking the next step in his basketball career, this time, away from being one of the five on court but as part of the coaching staff, and where other than the NBA.
On Sunday, Falzon announced he will be joining the Los Angeles Lakers as a coaching associate for the coming season. This means he will be calling time on his playing career to join Lakers head coach JJ Reddick’s staff as they head into another NBA season.
The 32-year-old, born in Massachusetts opted to stay put in the US this summer when Malta played their annual commitments in the FIBA Small Countries Championships, with signs now pointing to his preparation for the new role in the world’s highest-ranked league, home to star-studded rosters like that of the Lakers.
Confirming the move on his socials, Falzon will now be using his experience playing at various European clubs to assist Reddick in handling responsibilities such as coordinating offensive strategies, defensive schemes, player development and various other tasks for the team led by LeBron James.
The Lakers finished the 2023-2024 NBA season in seventh place in the Western Conference. They had a record of 47-35 and made it to the playoffs where they were eliminated in the first round by the Golden State Warriors in six games.
This is the first time a Maltese person has ever been directly involved with the NBA in any capacity, Falzon making history with this appointment.
Falzon last played in Spain with Fundación Globalcaja La Roda where he joined in January for the second part of the season. The Spanish Tercera FEB club had referred to him as a ‘luxury reinforcement’ with a great outside shot. Falzon went on to play 10 games before the season’s end.
