Blain Skinner grew up in Southern California, and from an early age, he developed a love for sports. As a young athlete, he was drawn to soccer, but as a fan, his interests expanded to all sports – especially basketball and the Los Angeles Lakers. This was understandable as Blain grew up in the era of Jerry West, Gail Goodrich, Elgin Baylor, and Wilt Chamberlain. He eventually went on to study at the University of Southern California, where he attained a bachelor’s degree from their Sports Information program in 1982. During his senior year, he was hired to work at The “Fabulous” Forum in Inglewood, first as an intern. Eventually, after graduating, he was promoted to the Director of Public Relations for their special events.

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At the time, The Forum was the home of his favorite childhood team, and eventually, his focus began to shift entirely towards the Lakers. This marked the beginning of a remarkable nearly thirty-eight year run with the franchise which saw the team win fifteen conference championships and nine NBA titles – and if he had stuck around for another year, those totals would be sixteen and ten. During his tenure with the organization, the team was led by the likes of Kareem Abdul Jabbar, Magic Johnson, James Worthy, Shaquille O’Neill, Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol, LeBron James, and Anthony Davis.

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The success that he and the Lakers enjoyed in that time has fueled a desire to give back to the youth of Southern California by sharing his passion for sports. Fortunately, Westcoast Sports Associates provided him the opportunity to do just that. After joining the organization in 1995 and volunteering as a member for over twenty years, he now proudly sits on WSA’s board. In addition to WSA, he launched Blain Skinner Consulting and provides services to various entities throughout the sports and entertainment industry, hoping that as many people as possible can share his undying love for sports.