Robert Todd Pelinka, General Manager Of Lakers, Just Announced His Departure

Rob Pelinka is most known for being the Lakers’ general manager, but he is more than that, and today we aim to provide some additional insight.

The birthdate of Robert Todd Pelinka Jr. is December 23, 1969. Many people are familiar with him as the general manager and vice president of basketball operations for the Los Angeles Lakers. But there is a lot more to Rob Pelinka, and we attempt to provide some insight into his life as the top executive of the Lakers today.

Chicago, Illinois, is the birthplace of Pelinka. His basketball career began at Lake Forest High School in Illinois, where he attended. As a teenager, he was actually pretty good, winning All-American accolades. As a junior, Pelinka guided the group to its first-ever conference title.

The 6-foot-6 point guard, Pelinka, chose to commit to the University of Michigan after receiving a lot of recruiting attention. Few people are aware that he was a member of the Fab 5, a group of famous Michiganders that included Ray Jackson, Chris Webber, Jimmy King, Juwan Howard, and Jalen Rose.

As a freshman, Pelinka participated in Michigan’s 1989 NCAA championship team. He participated in three Final Four competitions, making him the only player in school history to do so. The last two, nevertheless, were canceled due to a scandal involving cheating.

But in his time with the Wolverines, Pelinka was merely a supporting cast member. He played 7.1 minutes a game, averaging just 2.6 points and 2.1 rebounds in his four seasons with the organization. It goes without saying that he did not become an NBA player, and after he graduated from college, his playing days were essentially over.

Still, Pelinka was a superb student-athlete. He majored in business administration and earned an astounding 3.9 GPA. After graduating from college, he attended Michigan Law School and eventually received his Juris Doctorcum laude in 1994 rather than pursue a career in basketball. As early as his undergraduate years, he recognized that sports administration was his true calling and that he was not suited to be a professional athlete.

Pelinka started working for SFX Management as a legal counsel in 1998. Two years later, he signed on as a sports agent. With the firm representing Kobe Bryant from the beginning of his career, this was the beginning of his professional and personal relationship with the player.

A few years later, in Los Angeles, Pelinka opened The Landmark Sports Agency, his own sports agency. Naturally, he took his top client with him. Over the years, with Bryant at the top of his clientele, he was able to sign a number of well-known NBA players, including Eric Gordon, James Harden, Chris Bosh, Buddy Hield, and Andre Iguodala. Before moving to Jay-Z’s Roc Nation Sports, Kevin Durant was also represented by Pelinka and his organization. According to Forbes, Pelinka’s agency is valued at $13.8 million as of 2018, and they are responsible for $216 million in contract values.

But there’s no doubt that he was closest to Kobe. So much so that in 2003, during Bryant’s historic sexual assault lawsuit, Pelinka practically stood by Bryant’s side. This was possibly the moment that strengthened their unshakable friendship. Bryant and Pelinka grew close to the point where Bryant wanted Pelinka to be the godfather of his second daughter, Gianna, who tragically also died in the January 2020 helicopter tragedy.

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Pelinka wed Kristin Schwarz in 2005. She graduated from UCLA in 2003 with her MD and works as a pediatrician. Durham is the name of the couple’s son, and Emery is the name of their daughter. Members of a Christian organization based out of St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church in Newport Beach include the couple and their kids.

Pelinka advanced to the position of league executive following years of experience in the sports agency industry. He was a key component of Lakers owner Jeanie Buss’ 2017 front office reform, which also included the removal of Mitch Kupchak as general manager and the appointment of Jim Buss, Jeanie’s brother, as vice president of basketball operations. In addition to Magic Johnson, who took over for Jim Buss, Jeanie appointed Pelinka as Kupchak’s replacement as the team’s new general manager. Undoubtedly, Pelinka’s hiring was influenced by the solid rapport he developed with Jeanie during his time as Bryant’s attorney.

But Magic decided to quit after just two very bad years in charge, meaning the Johnson-Pelinka era in Los Angeles did not endure long. Nonetheless, Johnson was unquestionably instrumental in the 2018 LeBron James signing. However, Johnson criticized Pelinka after resigning, accusing him of “backstabbing” him and persistently attempting to usurp his position.