Holding more championship rings than Robert Horry and making more NBA Finals appearances than all NBA franchises not named the Los Angeles Lakers or Boston Celtics, Lakers trainer Gary Vitti has decided that 2015-16 will be his final season as everyday trainer for the purple and gold.
Mike Bresnahan of the LA Times first reported that Vitti would call time on his career after 32 years as the players' go-to guy for every minor or major medical question. That no. 32 means a great deal to the Lakers, and it also meant an awful lot to Vitti. Earvin "Magic" Johnson wore no. 32, and Vitti worked tirelessly to educate the public and the NBA about HIV when the Lakers' star contracted the virus.
Famously, Vitti opted not to use gloves multiple times when treating cuts on Johnson in order to show that direct physical contact with an HIV-positive person would not spread the disease. In a climate of fear, Vitti provided the knowledge and facts that allowed the NBA, Los Angeles and the world to better understand HIV.
In the past couple of seasons, the Lakers' never-ending spat with injuries had an effect on the long-time trainer. Vitti, who often helps lighten the atmosphere with old stories worth telling, occasionally revealed his anxiety and bewilderment over the string of injuries to reporters close to the team. While the Lakers appeared to have followed protocol in every case and no one ever claimed any malpractice, Vitti's forehead would wrinkle a slight bit more with every new season-ending injury.
Vitti has spent more years as an NBA trainer than most NBA players have spent on Earth. He joins Kobe Bryant on one final NBA go-around that the duo can share together. Bryant's departure from the NBA may signal the end of an era on the court, but Vitti's departure signals an even more rare changing of the guard inside the Lakers' locker room and on the bench.
According to the LA Times, Vitti expects to continue in a consulting role for an additional two years.
