Mike Penberthy


Michael Dunkin Penberthy is an American professional basketball coach and former player who is currently working as an assistant coach for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association. A point guard from The Master's College, Penberthy went undrafted in the 1997 NBA Draft but did manage to play for the Los Angeles Lakers for two seasons. Penberthy was part of their 2000–01 championship team.

Early life and college

Born in Los Gatos, California, Penberthy graduated from Herbert Hoover High School at Fresno, California in 1993. He played college basketball for The Master's College in Santa Clarita, California, where he played with distinction, broke numerous school records, was a 2-time NAIA All-American, and was later a charter member of the college for the 2003–2004 season. He held the NAIA record for consecutive games with at least one three-pointer made, with 111, until it was broken in December 2005 by Brandon Cole of John Brown University. He graduated from The Master's College in 1997 with a B.A. degree in biblical studies.

Professional career

Penberthy tried out for the Indiana Pacers and tore his right hamstring; he took three months off and joined the Continental Basketball Association team Idaho Stampede, which drafted him from college. The Stampede cut Penberthy, who said he "hated" playing there, and he transferred to the German team Hamburg Tigers.
During the summer of 1998, when the NBA locked out its players, Penberthy worked as a forklift driver at Turf Tek, a company managed by a cousin of his. The following fall, Penberthy joined sports ministry Athletes in Action and the CBA team Quad City Thunder but was cut due to a sprained right ankle. From April to June 1999, Penberthy played for the Venezuelan team Cocodrilos de Caracas.
In his NBA career, Penberthy played in 56 games and had averages of 4.9 points, 1.3 assists and 1.2 rebounds per game while playing 15.4 minutes per game on average.
The Lakers waived Penberthy on November 10, 2001. Afterwards, he played basketball in Italy and Germany and competed in the ULEB Cups of 2005, 2006, and 2007. While with Alba Berlin, Penberthy helped the team win the German Cup of 2006. In 2011, Penberthy signed with the Los Angeles Slam of the ABA.

Coaching career

In the 2014–15 season, Penberthy was the shooting coach for the Minnesota Timberwolves. In the 2018–19 season, Penberthy was the shooting coach for the New Orleans Pelicans. In the summer of 2019, Penberthy was hired as an assistant coach for the Los Angeles Lakers.

Personal life

Penberthy married Wendy Jones, who attended The Master's College with him and played volleyball for the college. They have three children. Ty, Jaden and Kate.