Alex McKechnie

Alex McKechnie (born in Glasgow, Scotland) is a Scottish-Canadian physiotherapist who works as the Vice President, Player Health and Performance for the Toronto Raptors of the National Basketball Association. He was inducted into the British Columbia Sports Hall of Fame in 2018.[1]

Alex McKechnie
Toronto Raptors
PositionVice President, Player Health and Performance
LeagueNBA
Personal information
Bornc. 1952
Glasgow, Scotland
NationalityScottish / Canadian
Coaching career2013–present
Career history
As coach:
2000–2011Los Angeles Lakers (athletic)
2013–2020Toronto Raptors (assistant)
Career highlights and awards
Medals
Men's soccer
 Canada
CONCACAF Gold Cup
Gold medal – first place2000 United StatesTeam

Early life

McKechnie was born in Glasgow, Scotland,. He earned his bachelor's degree in physiotherapy from the Leeds School of Physiotherapy in Leeds, England.[1]

Professional career

McKechnie started his career as a head physiotherapist for Simon Fraser University in 1974. The Vancouver Whitecaps brought him on board in 1988. Over the next few decades, McKechnie continued to work with the Whitecaps and 86ers, as well as the Vancouver Canucks and the Canada men's national soccer team. He was a staff member of the Canadian soccer team that won the gold medal at the 2000 CONCACAF Gold Cup in the United States. At the same time, McKechnie operated his own private sports medicine practice in Burnaby and helped thousands of everyday athletes.[1]

Retired American tennis legend Jimmy Connors regularly used McKechnie's services during his career in the 1970s and 1980s. Also, McKechnie worked with a Canadian Hall of Famer Steve Nash and a former English footballer Owen Hargreaves.[2]

McKechnie worked with Shaquille O'Neal in the late 1990s.[3] In 2000, the Los Angeles Lakers made McKechnie a full-time member of their staff and he earned five NBA championship rings in 11 seasons.[1] McKechnie joined the Toronto Raptors in the 2011–12 NBA season as a director of sports science.[4] McKechnie won his 6th championship when the Raptors defeated the Golden State Warriors in 6 games of the 2019 NBA Finals.

See also

References
  1. "BC Sports Hall of Fame: Alex McKechnie, Induction Year 2018". bcsportshalloffame.com. Archived from the original on May 26, 2019. Retrieved May 26, 2019.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  2. "Owen Hargreaves close to remarkable return for Manchester United thanks to Alex McKechnie". telegraph.co.uk. Retrieved May 26, 2019.
  3. "Phil Jackson Touts One of the NBA's Unsung Heroes on Twitter". bleacherreport.com. Retrieved May 26, 2019.
  4. "One-On-One With Alex McKechnie - Part One". nba.com. Retrieved May 26, 2019.


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