After two weeks of negotiations, the Los Angeles Lakers have officially announced the hiring of Rob Pelinka as their new general manager. The hiring of Kobe Bryant’s former agent comes following the massive organizational makeover that saw the Lakers part ways with long time GM Mitch Kupchak, as well as former executive vice president Jim Buss.
As noted by Bleacher Report, the hiring finally became official after Adrian Wojnarowski reported that the Los Angeles Lakers and Rob Pelinka were negotiating towards a multiyear deal. “I am beyond grateful to join the Lakers front office,” Pelinka said in a released statement. “The Lakers are a gold standard for sports franchises in the world, so we all share a responsibility to pursue excellence in everything we do.”
According to Los Angeles Lakers vice president Jeanie Buss, Rob Pelinka’s familiarity with the business of basketball will be key in returning the franchise to its former glory. The Lakers have also done business with Pelinka for years when he was handling the affairs of Kobe Bryant.
No one knows the business of basketball more than @robpelinka. I wish him & the Lakers much success as they bring winning bball back to LA.
— Kobe Bryant (@kobebryant) March 7, 2017
And while Bryant expectedly signed off on the hiring, Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban took time to wish his former rivals the worst. As reported by Silver Screen & Roll, Cuban told Mark Medina of the L.A. Daily News that he hopes that Magic Johnson and Rob Pelinka go down as the worst GM/President “in the history of GM/President combinations,” adding that he hopes “they fail horrifically.”
Mark Cuban, though, did not appear to have anything personal against either Magic Johnson or Rob Pelinka – or anyone from the Los Angeles Lakers for that matter. He clarified that his comments merely reflected the fact that if there’s more turmoil within the 29 other teams in the NBA, the happier he would be.
Rob Pelinka has never worked for an NBA franchise in a front office capacity. He best known for being Kobe Bryant’s longtime agent, and has also represented other NBA stars like James Harden, Chris Bosh and Andre Iguodala.
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