For 40 days last summer, Greg St. Jean traveled with Slovenia’s national team, cutting defensive film of Luka Doncic and taking notes on plays he thought could help the Lakers. A year later, St. Jean is moving closer to the front of Los Angeles’ bench.
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St. Jean’s path with Doncic has already taken him from Dallas to Slovenia and back to Los Angeles. But his latest move with the Lakers is not simply a result of that relationship. It follows the retirement of longtime assistant Bob Beyer, while St. Jean was already being considered for a larger role.
Beyer retired this offseason after a lengthy NBA coaching career dating back to the 2003-04 season with Toronto, and the Lakers have promoted St. Jean to a front-of-the-bench role. ESPN’s Dave McMenamin reported, “Lakers assistant coach Bob Beyer retired this offseason after a lengthy NBA career spanning back to 2003-04 with Toronto, according to the team. Greg St. Jean was promoted to a front-of-the-bench role to replace Beyer. (@DanWoikeSports first).” McMenamin added, “St. Jean was tracking to take a bigger role with the coaching staff even if Beyer had stayed on.”
That distinction matters because the promotion was already on St. Jean’s path before Beyer’s retirement. It also adds another chapter to a coaching career that has steadily moved toward greater responsibility, from a video coordinator in Sacramento in 2013-14 to player development, college coaching, NBA assistant roles and now a front-of-the-bench position with the Lakers.
St. Jean first worked closely with Doncic in Dallas from 2021 to 2023 under Jason Kidd. He became a front-row assistant and took on an offensive role after Igor Kokoskov left. Their connection even extended beyond the Mavericks during that period. In 2022, St. Jean spent roughly two weeks in Ljubljana with Slovenia during EuroBasket preparation, eating meals with the team, learning Slovenian phrases and getting a closer look at the culture surrounding Doncic. When it came to the card games, Doncic learned quickly that his coach was willing to compete. St. Jean later summed up the lesson simply: “Never bet with Slovenians.”
The relationship continued after St. Jean returned to the Lakers in 2024 and reunited with Doncic following the February 2025 trade. Then came a much bigger Slovenia role. In 2025, St. Jean joined Aleksander Sekulić’s staff as a formal assistant and spent 40 days with the national team through its preparations and EuroBasket run. He cut defensive highlight reels of Doncic for Sekulić and took notes on European concepts that could potentially help the Lakers.
St. Jean was open about what the experience meant for both sides. “There’s a little bit [of Lakers tactics]… We’ve used a few things from the Lakers. Obviously, there’s been some stuff that we’ve used from his [Sekulić’s] book. It’s been a great partnership,” he said. He added, “There are things that we see in the tournament… that I’ll sit there and I’ll take my notes and say, ‘Hey, that’s something that would be great for us to try with the Lakers. Or that’s something I haven’t seen in the NBA.’”
His time with Slovenia also gave him another perspective on Doncic. “I’ve known him now for four years, and this is his favorite basketball he gets to play… He enjoys playing with these teammates and being able to represent his country,” St. Jean said. “I think in a national team jersey, you see his leadership a little bit more… He’s maturing and growing.”
St. Jean has also earned trust beyond his connection with Doncic. During the 2025-26 season, JJ Redick publicly credited him with drawing up a game-winning ATO against Orlando, adding another piece of evidence to his growing role within the Lakers’ coaching staff.
Beyer, meanwhile, leaves after a long coaching career that included stops with Toronto, Orlando, Golden State, Charlotte, Detroit, Oklahoma City, Sacramento, New Orleans and the Lakers. His family described the career as “41 year coaching career (21 yrs in the NBA).”
Now, St. Jean steps into the vacancy while continuing a career that has already taken him from the NBA’s video rooms to its front benches, with Doncic repeatedly crossing his path along the way. The latest chapter just happens to bring that connection back to Los Angeles.