The Golden State Warriors announced today changes within the team’s basketball operations staff, including the promotion of Larry Harris to director of player personnel, and the hiring of Lachlan Penfold as head of physical performance and sports medicine.
Harris, a longtime NBA executive with more than 25 years of front office experience, has served as a basketball consultant/scout for the Warriors for the last six seasons, working closely on college and pro scouting, draft preparation and free agency. Following a 19-year career with the Milwaukee Bucks that included stints as director of player personnel, director of scouting, assistant general manager and general manager, Harris joined the Warriors in 2008 as an assistant coach under Don Nelson before moving to the front office after one season on the bench.
Penfold joins the Warriors organization from his native Australia, where he most recently served as head of physical preparation for the Australian Men’s Sevens Rugby Union squad. With over 20 years of experience in the field of athletic performance, Penfold has held positions in a wide variety of sports, including personalized work with 80 Olympic athletes in five different Olympic Games. In this newly created role with Golden State, he will oversee the Warriors athletic training and strength & conditioning programs, working closely with the team’s coaching staff to promote optimal player performance.