{"id":396350,"date":"2026-07-13T06:43:01","date_gmt":"2026-07-13T06:43:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/396350\/"},"modified":"2026-07-13T06:43:01","modified_gmt":"2026-07-13T06:43:01","slug":"sandro-mamukelashvili-talks-lakers-life-in-los-angeles","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/396350\/","title":{"rendered":"Sandro Mamukelashvili talks Lakers, life in Los Angeles"},"content":{"rendered":"

LAS VEGAS \u2014 It\u2019ll be another three months before Sandro Mamukelashvili<\/a> takes his first real shot for the Los Angeles Lakers<\/a> \u2014 his main quest after signing with the franchise shortly after free agency started last week<\/a>.<\/p>\n

But on Saturday night, while the Lakers\u2019 Summer League<\/a> team was taking on the Dallas Mavericks at the Thomas & Mack Center, Mamukelashvili took other kinds of shots for his new team<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Sandro Mamukelashvili joined the Los Angeles Lakers in free agency on a 4-year, $52 million contract. NBAE via Getty Images<\/p>\n

Mamukelashvili became the latest NBA player to trade in his jersey for a photographer\u2019s camera<\/a>, shooting the first half of Saturday\u2019s game from the first row of the courtside media section inside of the arena.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI love doing extra stuff,\u201d Mamukelashvili told The California Post. \u201cThey call me Side Quest King. So I definitely love it. I\u2019m enjoying it. I\u2019m learning a lot.\u201d<\/p>\n

Harboring an interest in photography, Mamukelashvili (\u201cSometimes I try to take artsy pictures that don\u2019t make [any] sense,\u201d he said. \u201cBut I\u2019ve got to explain to people why they\u2019re good.\u201d) quickly found out the challenges of the craft.<\/p>\n

He exclaimed \u201cAhh, I missed it!\u201d after Arthur Kaluma\u2019s pump-and-drive layup four-and-a-half minutes into the game.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Mamukelashvili joined the Lakers at Summer League to serve as team photographer during a game. Khobi Price for the CA Post<\/p>\n

He talked about how much he liked to zoom in, but realized he had to find the balance of how far to zoom in and how much space to give his subject.\u00a0<\/p>\n

By the second quarter, he started stretching out his wrists as the weight of the camera started to set in.<\/p>\n

\u201cOh my god, it\u2019s crazy how hard is it to hold the camera steady at the same time, make sure you zoom in correctly, zoom out,\u201d Mamukelashvili told The Post. \u201cDefinitely need some strength on your wrist, it\u2019s tough.\u201d<\/p>\n

During a Lakers fastbreak in the first quarter, he said out loud to himself: \u201cRun run run \u2026 give me action.\u201d Later, he added, \u201cI\u2019m ready \u2026 I\u2019m ready.\u201d<\/p>\n

Eager to show off his work, Mamukelashvili sat in the press row to share it with reporters. Khobi Price for the CA Post<\/p>\n

Mamukelashvili got so into the side quest that he found himself cheering for a Mavericks player to dunk. And when jokingly asked by The Post who he was cheering for, he quipped, \u201cI need a statement!\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThe challenging part is, I would say, making sure you are catching the right moment,\u201d Mamukelashvili said.<\/p>\n

At one point in the first quarter, Mamukelashvili gave his photography skills a grade of B+.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cStill got a little bit of action to go,\u201d he said. \u201cSo, let\u2019s see what I can cook up here.\u201d<\/p>\n

And then, Mamukelashvili met the moment, capturing William Kyle III\u2019s two-handed dunk late in the opening quarter, which bumped Mamukelashvili\u2019s self-assessed grade up to an A-.<\/p>\n

By the time the second quarter rolled around, Mamukelashvili found his flow.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m creating art right now, man,\u201d he said as a Laker social media employee gave him Meta Glasses to capture more content.\u00a0<\/p>\n

What was his best shot of the game?<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s too many of them,\u201d he responded.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Arguably the best photo of Mamukelashvili\u2019s day was this two-handed dunk by William Kyle III. Khobi Price for the CA Post<\/p>\n

Soon, Mamukelashvili will find himself back in a familiar position on the other side of the camera.<\/p>\n

But it\u2019ll be in the Lakers\u2019 Purple and Gold after playing for the Toronto Raptors (2025-26), San Antonio Spurs (2023-25) and Milwaukee Bucks (2021-23) since being the No. 54 pick in the 2021 draft.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cJust the name itself \u2014 all of the legends play for the Lakers,\u201d Mamukelashvili told The Post of why he signed with the famed team. \u201cThe organization is a very high-level organization. They\u2019re starting a new page, and it\u2019s just unbelievable to be part of it.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Mamukelashvili, who got a \u201cMamba Mentality\u201d tattoo while he was in college at Seton Hall, grew up a fan of late Lakers icon Kobe Bryant.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI could only imagine this really in 2K, that I would be playing for this team,\u201d Mamukelashvili said. \u201cI\u2019m so excited, so happy. The coaching staff is amazing, and I can\u2019t wait to just put the jersey on, go out there and just play my heart out every night. You gotta have a chip on your shoulder when you play for the Lakers.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mamukelashvili is a significant part of the Lakers\u2019 roster reconstruction around superstar guard Luka Don\u010di\u0107<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Mamukelashvili is expected to bring size, physicality and an ability to stretch the floor, which should pair well with Luka Don\u010di\u0107 and Austin Reaves. Getty Images<\/p>\n

The Lakers\u2019 moves have included re-signing Austin Reaves (four years, $185 million)<\/a>, sign-and-trading for Walker Kessler (four years, $130 million)<\/a>, signing Quentin Grimes (four years, $60 million)<\/a>, Collin Sexton (two years, $19.2 million)<\/a> and Kevon Looney (one year, $3.9 million)<\/a> and acquiring Jaden Hardy from the Wizards in a trade that sent Deandre Ayton to Washington<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Mamukelashvili (four years, $52 million), along with Reaves, Kessler and Grimes, were among the players who signed long-term deals with a player option for the 2029-30 season.\u00a0<\/p>\n

This deal signified the belief president of basketball operations\/general manager Rob Pelinka and coach JJ Redick have in Mamukelashvili and in the team\u2019s long-term vision<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The 6-foot-9, 240-pound Mamukelashvili is coming off of a career-year with the Raptors, receiving three third-place votes for Sixth Man of the Year.\u00a0His scoring average (11.2 points), field goal percentage (52.3%), rebounds average (4.9), assists average (1.9), steals average (.8) and blocks average (.5) with Toronto in 2025-26 were all career-best marks.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThey just see me as a basketball player who can go out there, play multiple positions, bring the rhythm,\u201d Mamukelashvili told The Post. \u201cThey know I\u2019m gonna play hard; I won\u2019t take possessions off and they understand that I really want to win. That\u2019s where I fit.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cHaving players like Luka, Austin Reaves\u00a0\u2014 all those guys who are such amazing creators \u2014 that\u2019s gonna help me so much offensively, just flow in it and hopefully get a lot of open corner 3s and then just knock them down.\u201d<\/p>\n

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