The Lakers just hired Kim Kardashian's trainer, because LA
The Los Angeles Lakers are one of the NBA's proudest and most storied franchises, but haven't been relevant in years. Seeking to restore their former glory, the team just made a big hire. The Lakers have turned to ...
... Kim Kardhashian's trainer?
Apparently so. And so L.A.
Gunnar Peterson will be the Lakers' new director of strength and endurance training, the team announced Wednesday. It's his first NBA team gig -- until this week, Peterson was better known for being a celebrity trainer.
Peterson started training Kardashian when she was 19 and as recently as two years ago the internet celebrity was still coming to him five days a week, according to a Sun profile from 2015 titled "Keeping fit with the Kardashians."
"My brief with Kim is to showcase her curves, not whittle them away," Peterson told The Sun at the time.
He'll have a different charge with the Lakers, one assumes. But Peterson's Hollywood ties were good for a few jokes -- and some healthy skepticism -- on Twitter.
This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.
This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.
This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.
The Los Angeles Lakers hiring Kim Kardashian's trainer certainly makes for Hollywood headlines, but there's also legitimate hope here for fans of the team.
In addition to stars such as Kardashian, Penelope Cruz, and Sly Stallone, Peterson has worked with a host of high-profile athletes. One of those athletes is tennis icon Pete Sampras, who gave Peterson a signed racquet thanking the trainer for extending his career, per a 2006 Sports Illustrated piece.
Time see how this works out for the Lakers, who've won 16 NBA titles but not made the playoffs since 2013.
Sam Laird is Mashable's Senior Sports Reporter. He covers the wide, weird world of sports from all angles -- as well as occasional other topics -- from Mashable's San Francisco bureau. Before joining Mashable in November 2011, his freelance work appeared in publications including the New York Times, New York Times Magazine, Slam, and East Bay Express. Sam is a graduate of UC Berkeley and UC Santa Cruz, and basketball and burritos take up most of his spare time. Follow him on Twitter @samcmlaird.
