Less than a year after Magic Johnson’s sudden resignation in April, the Los Angeles Lakers have made it official that Rob Pelinka will be the man in charge of the basketball operations of the franchise for the foreseeable future.
The Lakers announced on Friday, just a few hours before their nationally televised game against the Dallas Mavericks on ESPN, that Pelinka is the Vice President of Basketball Operations and General Manager of the Lakers, according to multiple reports. Pelinka was previously named the GM under Magic Johnson but this solidifies Pelinka’s power within the organization.
After the Lakers failed to put a proper team around LeBron James in 2018 with Magic Johnson, Pelinka has done a great job learning from the mistakes made by prioritizing rebounding, shooting, and defense around LeBron James this season.
Pelinka’s former client and Lakers legend Kobe Bryant said earlier this week that people should be “singing Rob’s praises” after he was widely criticized when the Lakers were struggling.
In addition to the Anthony Davis trade, Pelinka made smart signings that have helped L.A. greatly this season, including Danny Green, Alex Caruso, Jared Dudley, and Dwight Howard.
