STU LANTZ

While entering his 24th season broadcasting Lakers games, this will be Stu Lantz’s 8th season working television exclusively as color commentator. With the end of the Lakers simulcast era prior to the 2003-04 season, Lantz now teams with play-by-play man Joel Meyers and broadcasts every Lakers game televised on KCAL-TV and FS West. Providing each broadcast with his expert analysis and unique insight garnered through his 30-plus years associated with the NBA as both a player and color commentator, Lantz has received numerous awards over the years. Chosen Southern California's best radio color commentator six times by the Southern California Sports Broadcaster's Association and best television color commentator on six occasions, Lantz has also won six local EMMY Awards for his work in the Best Live Sports Telecast category.

A graduate of the University of Nebraska (1968), the Cornhuskers officially retired his uniform number (22) on October 17, 1989 during halftime ceremonies of a Lakers’ preseason game in Lincoln. Born in Uniontown, PA, Lantz was originally a third round draft pick of the San Diego Rockets in 1968. Spending his first three seasons in San Diego, he enjoyed his finest pro campaign in 1970-71, averaging career-high figures in both scoring (20.6) and rebounding (5.0). The following season, Lantz ranked sixth overall in the NBA in free throw percentage (.838). Lantz also played for the Detroit Pistons (1972-1974) and New Orleans Jazz (1974) prior to being traded to the Lakers in December of 1974. He played less than two seasons in Los Angeles before announcing his retirement following the 1976-77 campaign due to a back injury.

Immediately following his playing career, Lantz embarked on a broadcasting career, serving as a commentator for the San Diego Clippers, San Diego State University, CBS and the NBA Radio Network.

During the off season, Lantz works as an instructor at Pete Newell’s renowned Big Man’s Camp each summer. Stu and his wife, Linda, live in San Diego and are the parents of Todd, Kristin and Shane.

JOEL MEYERS

Entering his 8th season with the Lakers and 6th as the team’s television play-by-play announcer, Joel Meyers brings over 20 years of broadcast experience to the organization. Moving over to television from his two-year position as the Lakers’ radio play-by-play announcer (2003-2005), Meyers previously served four years as the voice of San Antonio Spurs’ television broadcasts before joining the Lakers.

Having worked for ESPN over more than a decade calling college football, college basketball and professional golf, Meyers has also worked for NBC covering the NFL, two Olympic Games as well as the NBA and professional golf.

Meyers’ work with the Lakers is actually his second partnership with team owner Dr. Jerry Buss, as he also served as a broadcaster for Buss’ Prime Ticket Network (now FSN West and FSN West 2) at the station’s inception in 1985, calling collegiate baseball as well as indoor soccer.

In addition to his duties with the Lakers, Meyers has worked Sunday nights for CBS/Westwood One for the past nine years and will continue to call NFL action while also calling Big 12 college football on FSN every Saturday night.

A St. Louis native, Meyers attended the University of Missouri. He and his wife, Carol, have two sons, Drew and J.J. They reside in Hidden Hills.

SPERO DEDES

Entering his 6th season as the radio play-by-play announcer for the Lakers, Spero Dedes continues a long line of sports broadcasting excellence produced by Fordham University’s WFUV Radio that began with the legendary voice of the Dodgers Vin Scully in the late 1940s. At the age of 31, he has already called games for three of the four major television networks, as well as the nation’s premier radio network.

Dedes came to the Lakers from YES Network, where he served as the voice of the network’s collegiate sports coverage (football and basketball), as the fill-in play-by-play announcer on New Jersey Nets’ telecasts and as a studio host for Yankees and Nets pre and postgame shows.

In addition to his roles at YES in 2004-05, Dedes handled NBA TV’s First Round Playoff play-by-play duties from 2003-05 while also hosting NBA TV’s “Hardwood Classics” and the “Insiders” - a nightly, live, 60-minute interview program dealing with everything NBA.

His extensive resume includes serving as the play-by-play voice on CBS’ coverage of NCAA men’s college basketball and Westwood One’s coverage of NCAA football and basketball. Dedes has also called NFL action on FOX and in August of 2004, was in Athens as a reporter / play-by-play announcer on NBC’s coverage of the 2004 Summer Olympics.

Dedes began his broadcasting career at WFAN Radio in New York where he handled 20/20 updates and served as the Jets’ beat reporter. Also in 2001, he worked as the radio voice of the Arena Football League’s New Jersey Gladiators.

The Paramus, New Jersey native and 2001 Fordham graduate was the inaugural recipient of the Marty Glickman Award, given to the Fordham announcer who best exemplifies the standards set by the late sports broadcasting icon.

In the off-season, Dedes divides his summer between Los Angeles, New York and a family home in Greece while also working as a play-by-play announcer and host on the NFL Network.

MYCHAL THOMPSON

A member of the Lakers championship teams in 1987 and 1988, Mychal Thompson enters his 8th season as the team’s radio color commentator. Formerly the Timberwolves television color analyst for two seasons, Thompson teams with play-by-play announcer Spero Dedes for all Lakers radio broadcasts.

Thompson, a standout at the University of Minnesota, averaged 20.8 ppg throughout his four-year collegiate career and was named All-America following both the 1976-77 and 1977-78 campaigns. The leading scorer in Golden Gopher history with 1,992 points, Thompson was the first overall selection in the 1978 NBA Draft by the Portland Trailblazers. In 12 seasons and 935 regular season games with the Trailblazers, Lakers and San Antonio Spurs, Thompson averaged 13.7 points, 7.4 rebounds and 2.3 assists.

Prior to joining the Lakers broadcast team, Thompson co-hosted a radio show in Portland, Ore. and also worked with the NBA’s Vancouver Grizzlies, Seattle Supersonics and Trailblazers as a television broadcast color analyst. Thompson also serves as Sports Ambassador for his native Bahamas.

A co-host of a radio show on the Lakers flagship station 710 AM ESPN Radio, he and his wife, Julie, reside in Rancho Santa Margarita and have three sons.

FERNANDO GONZALEZ

Beginning his 14th season as a play-by-play announcer for the Lakers, Fernando Gonzalez serves as the Spanish Voice of the team, broadcasting every game on 1330 ESPN Deportes, the Lakers Spanish language flagship.

Gonzalez is quite familiar to the Lakers Spanish-speaking audience as he also served as the news director for KWHY-TV and anchored the popular sports news program “Mundo Deportivo.” Gonzalez has received several accolades for his work including the 1995 Golden Mike Award for best sports segment.

Not limited to basketball, Gonzalez has also broadcast a variety of sporting events including World Cup soccer, the Olympic Games, professional boxing, NHL hockey and Pacific-10 football.

Born in Toluca, Mexico, Fernando graduated from La Universidad Autonoma del Estado de Mexico with a law degree.

He and his wife, Maria Teresa, have two children, Luis Fernando and Tatiana and have been residents of Los Angeles since coming to the United States in 1989.

JOSE "PEPE" MANTILLA

Since 1993, Jose “Pepe” Mantilla has served as color commentator for Lakers Spanish broadcasts. Along with Fernando Gonzalez, Mantilla broadcasts every Lakers game to the team’s large and growing Hispanic audience.

One of the most active sports journalists in Los Angeles, he is also a popular panelist for radio and TV sports shows. In addition to those duties, Pepe even manages to find time to broadcast Major League Baseball, NFL and World Cup soccer contests as well as college football and basketball for FOX.

A graduate of UNAM in Mexico, Pepe and his wife Ivonne have one daughter, Mercedes and one son, Andres, and make their home in Irvine.