How Zack Gonzales went from college walk-on to trusted NBA player development coach

NBA player development coach Zack Gonzales believes in the power of shooting your shot.

So far, that strategy has worked out for him.

First, Gonzales, after transferring to the University of Oregon as a walk-on from NAIA Warner Pacific University, was handpicked by Ducks head coach Dana Altman to instead become a player development coach, coaching the players he lived with and was friends with. Altman was impressed with Gonzales’ work ethic and communication style after watching him continue to grind in the gym despite his walk-on offer being presented to another player.

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Then, Gonzales, after direct messaging multiple NBA trainers, landed an opportunity to work with Jordan Lawley, who trains NBA stars like Klay Thompson and Zach LaVine at his facility in Irvine, Calif. That led to Gonzales landing a coaching position with the Los Angeles Lakers after approaching former assistant coach and current South Bay Lakers head coach Miles Simon.

There was a time Gonzales didn’t have any money for basic living, so he spent all day at the facility and slept in a Walmart parking lot. Now, Gonzales, 30, works independently with the likes of Thompson, Austin Reaves, Payton Pritchard, Juan Toscano-Anderson, Isaiah Thomas, Max Christie, Frank Kaminsky and Mac McClung during and after the season.

In Episode 4 of Season 2 of “Stargazing,” The Athletic’s NBA culture podcast, Gonzales discussed his coaching rise from Oregon to Los Angeles, the biggest differences between coaching college basketball and the NBA, learning from LeBron James and his relationship with Russell Westbrook, among other topics.

Editor’s note: Questions and answers have been edited for clarity and brevity.

You played college basketball. You transferred to walk-on at Oregon your senior year and ended up becoming a player development coach there. How did that opportunity come about? And what was that experience like?

That was a great experience. It was probably some of the best times in my life. But the way that came about was funny. I transferred to Oregon. I’m all about following your dreams and shooting your shot. We talked in the summer, like, “Yes, come walk on.” And when I got there, it was like, “Oh, we already have our walk-on.” So, through the year, I’m still in the gym cause I’m still living with the guys — Payton Pritchard, Will Johnson. I’m always in the gym. Coach Altman always saw me in the gym working out with the guys or whatever. That summer, coach Altman brings me in, and he’s just like, “Kid, I don’t know. I’ve never done this before. I see something in you. I’m taking a risk here. You’re young. Have you ever thought about coaching?” I was like, “Ah, no. I don’t know. I want to play basketball forever.” So he’s like, “Think about it. If you’re interested, let’s talk.” We had another meeting, and in that meeting, he gave me ground rules. He was just like, “I’ll give you a year tryout. If you take it seriously, I’ll take care of you. But if you mess around and don’t take it seriously, this is your only chance.” I was 23 at the time. I prayed about it, and I took the opportunity.

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They didn’t have a player development role, so I kind of took that upon myself. … These guys want to get in the gym. They’re hungry. They want to make it to the NBA. I was this young guy that was like, “Let’s work.” I was in the gym all the time for like someone like Pritchard. Before practice, every day, we’d go 100 spots. I would play defense the whole time and just work on giving him different looks, different challenges, and I fell in love with it each day. Just being around that team atmosphere is my favorite, something that’s bigger than yourself. Oregon just changed my life. Just really a huge opportunity.

So you land with the Lakers in 2021. How did you go from Oregon to L.A.? And what was that transition like from coaching college basketball to the NBA?

I’m someone who always loves to ask questions. I love to interview people: “Hey, can I take you out for a cup of coffee? I just want to pick your brain.” Even if we’re not in the same field, I just love to learn from people. So how that came about, I reached out to three different trainers in the United States — three of the best I could think of. I sent them a DM: “Hey, I do player development. I would love to just come rebound and just learn from you.” Nobody got back to me. Jordan Lawley ended up getting back to me. He was like, “Yeah, man, you’re from the 209. Come on down to Irvine.” So I hopped in my car, and I was like, “OK, I don’t really have much money.” I was sleeping in my car. In the gym all day with (Lawley), and then at night I would just hang around the gym until the gym closed and then go sleep in the Walmart parking lot.

I was in there and Miles Simon was playing five-on-five. If anybody knows Simon, he’s very competitive. Very competitive. I remember being like, “Hey coach, can I pick your brain?” He’d just lost. He was so angry. As soon as I asked, I was like, “Oh, s—. I should not have talked to him.” Bad timing. We just had a small conversation, but I could tell he was still fuming from this game he just had. So I’m like, “OK, cut it short, Coach. Thank you so much. It was great meeting you.” He leaves and then he walks back in and he’s like, “You ever thought about coaching the NBA?” I poker-faced it. I’m like, “Ah, no.” And then he’s like, “Well, we have these internship positions. Are you interested?” The next day, he calls Oregon, and they give him good feedback, and life just kind of rolls from there.

It all goes back to just really shooting your shot and betting on yourself. Taking chances … doing whatever, and then putting yourself out there. Asking questions, because if you don’t ask, you’ll never know. A big quote for me — I’m cheesy with quotes, all my players always make fun of me — but it’s, “Why not go out on a limb? Isn’t that where the fruit is?” I always think of that, as I always go out on a limb.

What was that 2021-22 season like with the Lakers? Obviously, from a win-loss perspective, it wasn’t the result you guys wanted. But you’re in a locker room with LeBron James, Anthony Davis, Russell Westbrook, Carmelo Anthony … it’s different than walking into a college locker room.

The whole experience was amazing. I remember my first day. Coach Phil Handy has been a great and huge mentor in my life. He’s so important. I remember coach Handy texted me the night before: “Hey, you’re starting early. I know you’re supposed to be here next week. Come early. I’m working somebody out.” So, I show up. I walk in through the gold door. If you’ve ever been to the Lakers’ facility, you have the gold door. It’s amazing … like, wow. I see straight ahead — this is, like, 8 a.m. — it’s Russell Westbrook just rolling out. I’m like, “Wow, that’s Russ. OK.” I go to introduce myself, and it was such a surreal moment being such a basketball fan and just for the love of the game. Seeing Russ, it was like, “Whoa.” And he was such a great guy.

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Being around these guys was amazing. But after the shock value goes away, that shock factor, it was all business, straight to work, and it was great. I learned so much from them. I probably learned more from them than a couple of those guys learned from me. But it was still a great experience. I’m so thankful for the relationships brought by that. The person I think about all the time when I think of relationships is Russell Westbrook. He was so important for me last year. We shared a locker room, kind of. Where he changed, I would change. The first day, first game, I was in there on accident doing some computer work, and he’s like, “No, stay.” So then, it just ended up being me and him all year in that room. Just hearing him talk and getting to know the human side of him, it was great getting to know that side.

I still carried my values from someone that instilled them in me when I was young, which is unconditional love for my athletes. That’s one thing I think I brought last year to my athletes: “I don’t care if you score four or 40. I love you. We’re gonna get this work in.” But the difference with NBA guys is it’s more about building trust with them because everybody wants something. It’s such a business. Within the NBA, John Lucas kind of told me, “Zack, there’s this game within the game that you have to learn. Once you learn that, you’ll be good.” That took some time. And then once I kind of got my feet grounded, I continued to carry all the values from when I was younger. Just unconditional love; show my athletes that. I think that’s where my eyes opened up and things started to take off where guys wanted to work out all the time. They could tell I cared about them as people before their production.

I’m so thankful for all the relationships. … So even though I was teaching them some things, I was learning even more from them. Just how they carried themselves on a day-to-day basis and how to be professional.

Do you have any memorable LeBron stories from last season that you can share?

A memory that comes to my head, I can’t tell you exactly when it was: I was on the sideline, and LeBron was always behind me. He pretty much said everything that was going to happen these next three up-and-downs. And I was like, “OK, let’s see if he’s right.” Completely, to a tee, (he) said what was gonna happen, who was going to shoot it, where he’s getting the ball, amazing things like that. He would do it in shootaround. He’d be like, “All right, (Luke) Kennard is gonna get to the corner, and then they’re gonna run this action.” They’d run that right away. It was just like his brain is so … he’s so smart. It was amazing to see that on the day to day and just learning. Being around LeBron, I had to pinch myself many times when I first got there. It was just such an amazing experience. I’m so thankful for the opportunity last year.

Looking back, what would be one piece of advice for someone who wants to follow in your footsteps?

Starve your ego. Throw the ego out. Don’t be afraid to go rebound for somebody and just ask questions. I think a lot of us don’t want to ask for help or ask for advice, and I think that we should. We should ask for advice and want to learn. That’d be the most important thing. And, go for your dreams. It sounds cliché but just go for your dreams. For me, I’ve always been a dreamer, and I’ve always wanted to bet on myself. I wish more people did that because it’s so awesome. When I travel, or people ask me, like, “How’s work?” I’m like, “It doesn’t feel like work. This is great. I love it.” I’m excited to go to Seattle with IT (Isaiah Thomas). I’m excited to get in the gym with Austin (Reaves) the night before a game. So, do something you love. If it’s not basketball … if it’s being the best painter, reach out to other artists and just learn. Follow your passions, do what you love, and it really won’t feel like work.

Long term, is becoming a head coach the goal? Is that the dream?

No. Long term is being the best assistant in the NBA. I would love to do this for the next 20-25 years. Be the best assistant, learn as much X’s and O’s and just learn and be there. I know the head coach, sometimes, it’s tough, you don’t always get to coach. To be an assistant, you’re able to be there for the players and be there for the head coach, kind of relieving stress off the head coach. I thrive in that role, and that’s the role that I would love. After that 20-year mark, I would like to join the front office and have a little more stability for my family. When I have kids, there will be stability. If I can be in the front office of a team, you don’t have to worry every year about, “Are we getting fired? Are we not? What’s going to happen?” I mean, the NBA is crazy, the life is crazy, so the front office is definitely a long-term goal.

(Top photo courtesy of Rohan Ali, Los Angeles Lakers)

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