Inside the Lakers Locker Room | Rudy Garciduenas
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What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
My name is Rudy Garza-Duenas, and you're watching Byron Scott's Fast Break.
We're back, another episode of Byron Scott's Fast Break. Jay Wagers, the coach, Mr. Byron Scott. And today on the Fast Break podcast, we are honored. to welcome someone who spent a quarter of a century helping build one of the greatest franchise in sports history. From 1983 to 2011, he served as the LA Lakers equipment manager, working behind the scenes through the Showtime era, the Kobe Shaq dynasty. He has some great stories. Seven NBA championship teams, worked alongside legends like Magic, Kareem Worthy, Riles, Buss, Phil Jackson, Shaq, Kobe, Byron Scott, talking about countless Hall of Famers, seriously. If you ever wondered what really happens behind those locker room doors on team planes during championship celebrations or in the middle of NBA final chaos, our guest today, he lived every single moment of it.
Even more special for me personally, this is a man who gave me my job. Yeah, yeah. And my start with the Lakers, he hired me back as a ball boy back in the 89-90 season. So it's a true honor to finally sit down with one of the most respected Laker in history, Mr. Rudy Garciduangas.
Thank you. Rudy! I don't know if I'd go that far, though. But it sounds good. It did.
Yeah, it did.
We got to show you your flowers. I had to play that one over for mom.
So, Rudy, 1983, your start. My rookie year, right, was your rookie year as well. And... What did it take, first of all, because I know with Jerry West or Dr. Buss or Gary Vee, whoever did the interviewing process to get you that job or for you to take the job, what was that process like, going through it to be the equipment manager for the Los Angeles Lakers? There was no process. He just gave you the job.
Here, give it. So the true story is, that I was a student at Loyola Marymount University, and the university hosted the Lakers for their practices. So they had just built Gersten Pavilion on the campus, and so the Lakers were practicing in there. And as a student worker, my responsibility was to set up the gym for the team, get it ready for their practice so that they could come on and get right to work. Well, one day, I guess I had forgotten to set up the shot clock. I think it was. And so I'm in the back. The team is on the floor. josh rosenfeld the public relations director at the time comes back to the locker room area and he says i need to talk to you and he says pat riley wants you to put the shot clock out every time from now on or else i looked at josh and i'm like and i love josh right right you know he's the nicest guy ever and i said to josh i said well
I don't work for you guys. I'm a volunteer here. I said, I'm a student worker. I said, how about you go tell Pat Riley to go fuck himself. And I took the keys to the gym and I left. Right. Came back after whatever and they were done and I cleaned up after him and whatnot. So the next day I come in to do this all over again. And in the training room is standing Jerry West. Bill Burtka, and Gary Vitti. And this was Gary's first year.
Second year. Second year. Yeah, second year, because my first year. No, you're right. That was his first year.
His first year, yeah. And so I walk into the training room, and I'm just going, oh, God, what did I do? And so Jerry literally walks up to me, shakes my hand, and all he says is, we want to hire you.
What?
Wow. And I'm like, okay. And I didn't really comprehend what was going on, because, I mean, Jerry, you saw every now and then, but not every day. And I'm like, is this serious? Is this for real? And Gary's just standing there, and Bert is like, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, you know, doing that. And, you know, at that time of the franchise, and Pat was the coach, Pat and Jerry bumped heads quite often. You know, they didn't always agree. And so it was kind of a thorn or a little bit for Jerry to be able to hire somebody who wasn't afraid to speak up to Pat. Not that I ever did after that.
No, now you're employed. So you say, let me be cool.
You got to behave.
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Chapters
5 chapters
1
What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
0:00–7:53
2
How did Rudy get hired by the Lakers after working at Loyola Marymount?
7:53–24:14
3
What did the equipment manager role actually involve during the 1980s Showtime era?
24:14–32:43
4
How did team travel and game-day logistics evolve for Rudy from commercial flights to charters?
32:43–48:40
5
What was Rudy’s first impression working around Magic, Kareem and Pat Riley?
48:40–1:07:58