Toronto Raptors hire former Los Angeles Lakers athletic coordinator Alex McKechnie – NBA News
On Thursday, the Toronto Raptors officially announced the hiring of the renowned physical trainer Alex McKechnie, who was previously the athletic performance coordinator for the Los Angeles Lakers.
Lakers brought McKechnie in the league for the first time to help their superstar Shaquille O’Neal with his abdominal problems, which enabled the big man to continue the action during his prime time. The muscular Shaq’s career was brought back to life by the fitness guru. At that time the Lakers’ legend had stated, "He brought me back. I was dead, and he brought me back."
After spending eight successful years in one of the most dominating teams of the league, McKechnie didn’t have his contract renewed which gave Toronto Raptors an opportunity to appoint Alex as the Director of Sports Science. Upon his appointment, McKechnie, who will watch over Toronto’s strength, conditioning, rehabilitation and every other kind of athletic training said;
“I am delighted to be a part of such a quality organization and look forward to working with the Raptors, as well as living in a great city like Toronto,”
Alex is well known for introducing the Core X System, which provides a full body workout in few minutes. The remarkable exercise system is very popular all over the world, especially in NBA.
Lakers’ general manager Mitch Kupchak commended the way McKechnie works with the players and said, "His approach is so unique. Our medical staff and players gravitate toward him. The results are astounding."
The 52 year old Alex carries more than 30 years of sports training experience under his belt and he is a pro at instructing body fitness. The great fitness insight and a huge number of success stories is what make Alex the fitness guru.
Cleveland Cavaliers point guard Baron Davis is another testimony of McKechnie’s brilliance. Davis was suffering with back problems when he used to play for the New Orleans Hornets, but under Alex’s supervision, he made a quick recovery. Commenting on his recovery and the role o Alex in that, Davis said
"He just maintained everything and took me over the top with my conditioning and training. I noticed the difference from the time he came and assessed me and told me all my problems. He told me things that doctors couldn't tell me."
With this hiring, one thing is for sure that Toronto Raptors will be able to address their fitness issues, which plagued their season last time around.
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