Rob Pelinka

After six full seasons with the Lakers, Vice President of Basketball Operations & General Manager Rob Pelinka has transformed the team DNA, constructing a roster and staff that earned the franchise their 17th NBA championship in 2020.

Pelinka helped make one of the most significant free agent signings in team history in 2018 when the Lakers added four-time NBA MVP LeBron James, following that with a franchise-altering trade that brought eight-time NBA All-Star Anthony Davis to Los Angeles. With other key additions, Pelinka had assembled a championship contender. L.A. went on to clinch the top seed in the Western Conference, the franchise’s 24th Pacific Division title and the team’s first championship since 2010 by defeating Portland, Houston, Denver and Miami in the 2020 NBA Playoffs.

During the 2022-23 season, Pelinka reshaped the roster with moves that helped propel the Lakers to the Western Conference Finals. In January, he added dynamic forward Rui Hachimura to the young core. Pelinka followed that transaction at the trade deadline, acquiring 2019 All-Star D’Angelo Russell along with versatile defender Jarred Vanderbilt. After their successful run in the 2023 postseason, Pelinka got to work improving the roster in pursuit of championship basketball. Pelinka retained valuable members of the roster in re-signing Hachimura, Austin Reaves and Russell. In free agency, the Lakers brought in point guard Gabe Vincent, following his run to the 2023 NBA Finals with the Miami Heat, and bolstered the team’s depth with the signings of sharpshooters Taurean Prince and Christian Wood, and recent lottery picks Jaxson Hayes and Cam Reddish. The offseason also saw the team select Jalen Hood-Schifino and Maxwell Lewis in the 2023 NBA Draft, while the team signed Colin Castleton, Alex Fudge and D’Moi Hodge to two-way contracts. Anthony Davis and Jarred Vanderbilt also agreed to contract extensions ahead of the 2023-24 season as the Lakers look to win the 18th championship in team history.

Off the court, Pelinka has reignited the Lakers commitment to player development by launching the Lakers Genius Talks, a series of life-skills discussions for Lakers players led by luminaries such as Denzel Washington, Kendrick Lamar, Allyson Felix, Dwayne Johnson and Elon Musk.

In his role, Pelinka coordinates all day-to-day functions of the Basketball Operations Department, helping to manage personnel decisions, contract negotiations, salary cap strategies and scouting. He oversees and collaborates with his staff on all offseason activities, including the draft process, summer league, free agency and training camp.

Pelinka joined the Lakers after spending the greater part of two decades representing many of the NBA’s top players as an agent. Named by Forbes as one the Top 10 Sports Agents in the World, Pelinka’s experience gives him a unique, player-centric perspective of the NBA landscape that has helped shape the core values for the franchise.

The Lake Forest, Ill., native earned his business degree from the Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan with high honors in 1993, before receiving his law degree, cum laude, from the University of Michigan Law School in 1996. While on campus at Michigan, Pelinka was a member of the 1989 NCAA National Championship basketball team, taking part in three NCAA Final Fours (1989, 1992, 1993) for the Maize & Blue. In 1993, Pelinka was named the NCAA Walter Byers Male Student-Athlete of the Year. Upon graduation, Pelinka practiced corporate law in Chicago and then embarked on a successful career as a sports agent, representing some of the all-time greats and many future NBA Hall-of-Famers, including the Lakers own Kobe Bryant.

Pelinka, 53, makes his home in Newport Beach with his wife, Dr. Kristin Pelinka, his son, Durham, and his daughter, Emery. Pelinka’s off court interests include trail running, mountain biking, reading and spending as much time with his kids as his work schedule permits. Pelinka and his family take great joy serving in leadership capacities at The Exceptional Families Ministry of Mariners Church in Irvine, CA, and at The Painted Turtle Camp in Lake Hughes, CA. Pelinka is also a proud member of the Mamba & Mambacita Sports Foundation Board of Directors.