The 1992 Los Angeles riots were one of the darkest and most chaotic chapters in the city’s history, and even NBA players weren’t insulated from the violence and fear that consumed the streets. On his Fast Break podcast, former Lakers guard Byron Scott shared a harrowing story about that time, revealing how far he went to protect those around him, including Lakers trainer Gary Vitti.
Scott recalled the night of April 29, 1992, when the Lakers were playing the Portland Trail Blazers at the Forum as the city erupted in protests and violence following the Rodney King verdict.
“You remember when the riots broke out, we had a game that night against Portland, right? We win that game, we get in the locker room.”
“Everybody told us, ‘Hey, you better go a different way home because the riot broke out because of the Rodney King thing that was going on.’ And you had literally brothers pulling people out of their car, beating them because they weren’t Black people.”
“Reginald Denny, you know what I mean, which was crazy. So the next day I come to practice and I said, ‘Gary V, I got something for you, bro. I just want to make sure that you get home safe. From this point on, if anything happens, I pulled out and put it on his desk. It was a Beretta 9mm.”
“And Gary said, ‘F**k I’mma do with that?’ I said, ‘You point and shoot. If somebody tries to grab you or tries to harm you, man, point and shoot.’ That was my way of taking care of my brother just in case.”
He vividly described the dangers players faced just trying to get home, referencing the infamous case of Reginald Denny, a white truck driver who was pulled from his vehicle and beaten on live television.
The next day, Scott said he showed up to Lakers practice determined to look out for his longtime trainer, Gary Vitti. He wanted to make sure that in the middle of such chaos, Vitti had a way to protect himself if things turned violent. Scott recounted the moment with unflinching detail.
Even for a team like the Lakers, symbols of glitz, success, and celebrity, the riots stripped everything down to basic survival and brotherhood.
For Scott, giving Vitti a gun wasn’t about politics or bravado. It was about protection. In his eyes, it was the only way he could guarantee his friend’s safety if he was caught in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Looking back, Scott’s story serves as a chilling reminder of how deeply the riots affected every corner of Los Angeles life. Basketball was still played, the Lakers still had games, but the fear on the streets couldn’t be escaped.
And in one small moment, Byron Scott showed that his loyalty to the people around him extended far beyond the basketball court, even if it meant sliding a Beretta M9 across his trainer’s desk.
