The evolutionarily conserved Gαi-LGN-NuMA protein complex is a key regulator of spindle orientation, but how its spatiotemporal localization is achieved remains elusive. Chiu et al. (2016) show that SAPCD2 negatively regulates LGN cortical localization by competing with NuMA for LGN binding in both epithelial cells and mouse retinal progenitor cells.