L.A. Lakers turn to paintball cannons and leave the court behind

In a team-building effort to get ready for the NBA season, the Los Angeles Lakers ditched out on their Sunday practice and took to the paintball field for some quality time.

Karl Malone, Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant were among the L.A. Lakers that got to play paintball during their training camp in Oahu, Hawaii this Sunday.

Coach Phil Jackson had planned on the paintball game as a team-building trip, but players also got to meet with 20 airmen and airwomen who recently returned from Iraq and Afghanistan since the paintball field is on a base.

Island Beauty

“I chose to play paintball for our activity because there are some skills behind it,” said Jackson. “It wasn’t just go out and shoot at everyone. It’s about team-building, taking objectives, capturing a flag. We actually captured an ammunition dump.”

Jackson also noted that he wanted the team to have time together in situations that aren’t all basketball, but still let them grow a little bit as a group.

“I’ve been playing ball almost 30 years and I’ve never experienced anything like this, ever,” Malone said. “It’s always been - camp starts, go to work.”

Hiding Places

Shaq, 7-foot-1, 340 pounds mostly played back as a sniper for his team. He would be a pretty easy target for his size! Malone was touched with the meeting of the Air Force personnel and their families.

“All we’re saying is we appreciate what they do every day,” he said. “It’s fun and games for us, but they have the real people shooting at them.”

The team used stock A-5's, Squadbuster Grenades and had custom JT jerseys, pants and masks with their names and numbers on them. Keep your eyes on the Paintball.com photo galleries, as we will be getting photos of the Lakers during the event..

The Lakers met with the Air Force at Bellow Air Force Base, close to Island Paintball Sports where they played earlier.

Natural Bunkers

IPS is one of the original paintball fields on Oahu. A variety of fields - including jungle speedball and urban warfare - feature great bunkers and obstacles.

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Adam Boyd is a successful author and regular contributor to http://www.paintball-guns-n-equipment.com. Find all the paintball gear, masks, jerseys, guns, pistols, protection, paint supplies, accessories and more.