Rob Pelinka

Last updated

Rob Pelinka
Los Angeles Lakers
PositionVP basketball operations / General manager
League NBA
Personal information
Born (1969-12-23) December 23, 1969 (age 54)
Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
Listed height6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)
Listed weight200 lb (91 kg)
Career information
High school Lake Forest (Lake Forest, Illinois)
College Michigan (1988–1993)
Position Point guard
Number25, 3
Career highlights and awards
As player:

As executive:

Robert Todd Pelinka Jr. [1] [2] (born December 23, 1969) is an American basketball executive, lawyer, sports agent, and former college basketball player from Lake Bluff, Illinois in the North Shore of the Chicago metropolitan area. [3] Pelinka is currently the vice president of basketball operations and general manager of the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA).

Contents

Before joining the Lakers, he was Kobe Bryant's agent and president and CEO of The Landmark Sports Agency, LLC. [4] Pelinka has represented many players who have been top-14 picks since the 2003 NBA draft, including two at the 2010 NBA draft and second-overall 2011 NBA draft selection Derrick Williams. [5] In the 2012 NBA draft, Pelinka represented Dion Waiters and Andre Drummond, who were selected 4th and 9th overall, respectively. Pelinka was formerly Kevin Durant's agent; he resigned as Carlos Boozer's agent following a controversy in which Boozer signed a contract with the Utah Jazz after allegedly promising to re-sign with the Cleveland Cavaliers. [6]

Pelinka played basketball for Lake Forest High School, earning All-American honors. As a junior, he led Lake Forest High School to its first conference championship. Entering his senior season, Pelinka was overlooked by many Division I scouts and recruiters. However, his MVP performance in a four-game tournament, where he made all 42 of his free throws, and his impressive season statistics enabled him to become a highly recruited athlete by the end of his senior year. He was selected to several regional all-star lists and to play on several regional all-star teams as a senior.[ citation needed ]

He was recruited by the University of Michigan, where he has the distinction of being the only person in school history to have been a member of three National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Final Four teams: the 1988–89 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Champion Wolverines basketball team as well as both the 1991–92 and the 1992–93 national championship runners-up, which were best remembered as the Fab Five teams. Pelinka holds a Juris Doctor cum laude from the University of Michigan Law School (1996) and Bachelor of Business Administration from the University of Michigan Ross School of Business (1993). Pelinka was also named the 1993 NCAA Male Walter Byers Scholar Athlete of the Year. [7]

Early life

Pelinka is the son of Robert Todd Pelinka Sr., a former high school basketball coach who taught him the fundamentals of basketball. [1] [8]

High school career

Pelinka became a high school All-American basketball player at Lake Forest High School. [3] [9] Regarded as one of the best shooters in the Chicago area, alongside teammate Coley Brannon. [10] [11] the 6 ft 3.5 in (1.92 m) junior led Lake Forest to their first conference championship as an all-conference guard. [12] [13] However, the team lost in the first round of postseason play in 1987. [14] Pelinka also played in the Chicago pro-amateur leagues where he played against local stars such as Mark Aguirre, Tim Hardaway, Kevin Duckworth and Kendall Gill. [8]

By his senior season, he was listed at 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m), and moved to the point guard position from the shooting guard position in the absence of Douglass, who had graduated and joined future Big Ten opponent Wisconsin, as a starting point guard. [1] [15] As a senior, Pelinka was a preseason selection by the Chicago Sun-Times as one of the top 50 Chicago metropolitan area high school basketball players and top five North Suburban players. [16] [17] However, he was not a national preseason top 500 pick by Street & Smith's basketball magazine, which may have been because his senior season marked the first season that the three-point shot was adopted by state high school associations and Pelinka was mainly a shooter. [18] Furthermore, scouts such as Chicago-based David Kaplan, who questioned his true height and dribbling ability, doubted whether he was talented enough to play for either of his targeted colleges (Michigan and Notre Dame) even in late December of his senior year despite his having had multiple 30-point efforts already. [19]

During the four-game December 1987 Elgin tournament, in which he was named MVP, Pelinka made all 41 of his free throws and recorded a tournament record 139 points, including 45 in one game. [20] [21] Pelinka's streak of consecutive free throws made ended at 45, [22] but later recounts showed he had 42 free throws in the tournament and 46 consecutive overall, which ranked fourth in Illinois high school basketball history at the time of his graduation. [23] After his tournament performance, Pelinka responded through the press to a scout who felt he might be limited to Division II or mid-major programs such as William & Mary that since he was able to score 45 points against a player committed to play for DePaul, he could succeed at the Division I high-major level. [24] He had only been recruited by William & Mary, Navy, Wisconsin-Green Bay and Ivy League schools before his tournament performance. Afterwards, at least three Big Ten Conference schools showed interest—Illinois, Minnesota and Wisconsin—although no scouts were allowed to attend any games before February 8. [25]

By the beginning of February of his senior year, Pelinka was listed as one of the top ten Class AA (the larger school class) [26] basketball players in Illinois by Illinois High School Basketball magazine. [27] By the time of the scouting deadline of February 8, when college scouts could start attending his games, Pelinka was averaging 30 points and 10  rebounds per game; Illinois, Michigan, Notre Dame and North Carolina showed interest in him. [28] Even previously doubtful scout Kaplan noted that of the players who waited until the April signing period instead of signing in November, Pelinka was one of the best in the Chicago area. [29] [30]

At the conclusion of the season, Pelinka had a 30-point-per-game average that benefited from a 41% three-point shot percentage over the course of 208 attempts. [31] Pelinka was named to the post-(regular) season All-Chicago area top 20 players by the Chicago Sun-Times. [32] [33] He was named among the 20 Class AA All-state players in a class that included Eric Anderson, LaPhonso Ellis, Acie Earl, and Deon Thomas. [34] In addition to various all-star lists, Pelinka was selected to play for various regional all-star teams. [35] [36] [37] [38] [39] He earned a coveted spot in the Schlitz League, teaming up with Maurice Cheeks for Luster Premium Hair Products. [40]

Pelinka's final decision came down to a choice between Illinois and Michigan. [41] [42] Pelinka chose Michigan because of its academically stronger law school and business school. [43] [44] After selecting Michigan, he had notable performances in his regional all-star games, including a 27-point performance in the annual City-Suburban all-star game. [45] [46] [47]

In January 2009, Pelinka was one of two players who did not attend the twentieth anniversary reunion of the 1989 championship team. [48] In February, Matt Vogrich broke Pelinka's Lake Forest High School scoring record. Vogrich followed in Pelinka's footsteps, playing as a freshman for the Wolverines basketball team in the 2009–10 season. [49] [50] [51] [52]

College career

Freshman season (1988–1989)

As a guard, Pelinka became the first Michigan Wolverine to reach three NCAA Tournament Final Fours during his Michigan Wolverines career. [53] He played in the 1988–89, 1990–91, 1991–92, and 1992–93 seasons; the team reached the championship game of the Final Four in three out of four of those seasons. As a true freshman member of the 1988–89 National Champions, his teammates included Glen Rice, Terry Mills, Loy Vaught, Rumeal Robinson, Sean Higgins, Demetrius Calip, and Mark Hughes. [54] As a redshirt member of the 1991–92 and 1992–93 national runners-up, his teammates included Chris Webber, Juwan Howard, Jalen Rose, Jimmy King, Ray Jackson (the Fab Five), and Eric Riley. He was one of several upperclassmen on the Fab Five teams and served as co-captain of the 1992–93 team. [55] [56] As a scholar, he was noted for having a grade point average that rivaled his scoring average. [8]

During Pelinka's freshman season, Michigan was picked by many to win the Big Ten Conference and was ranked number one in the nation, according to some preseason polls. [57] He was the only true freshman to play in either of the first two games of the season. [58] Pelinka's only start of the season came in the December 12, 1988 game against Holy Cross. This game followed the team's first loss of the season, which had come against Division II Alaska–Anchorage, after an 11–0 start and after which coach Bill Frieder benched three starters. [59] Pelinka posted his season highs in points (8), rebounds (5) and minutes (18) in this game. [60] During a practice, Pelinka was knocked unconscious and lost two teeth. [61] As the team entered the March stretch run, Pelinka and Calip were the only reserve guards backing up Robinson and Higgins. [57] [62] The team went on to win the 1989 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament against Seton Hall at the Kingdome in Seattle, Washington. [63] When the team visited the White House, Pelinka held Rumeal Robinson's suit coat, while Robinson and United States President George H. W. Bush reenacted Robinson's game winning free throws. [64]

Redshirt season (1989–1990)

When tendinitis afflicted his knees, [65] Pelinka redshirted the 1989–90 season. [53] During his redshirt sophomore season, Pelinka was not called on to take many important shots. He did have an opportunity to take a 20-foot shot with five seconds left in what turned out to be a 76–74 loss to Texas on December 29, 1990, but he missed the shot. [66] In this game, he played a season-high twenty-eight minutes in his only start of the season and first of his collegiate career. [67] [68] Pelinka was also instrumental in setting up some key shots such as a pass to Calip during a frenetic sequence to tie Minnesota in the waning minutes of the game. [69] The team finished with at 14–15 overall (7–11 Big Ten) record after losing to Colorado in the first round of the NIT. [70] [71]

Sophomore season (1990–1991)

During his redshirt junior year, he was joined at Michigan by the Fab Five, who were all true freshmen. [72] He was injured for part of the season. [73] When he was healthy, he was an important reserve player. [74] [75] After sitting out the first half, he scored the overtime opening three-point shot and made three of four overtime free throws in an 89–79 road victory against Michigan State at the Breslin Center on January 29, 1992. [76] [77] Pelinka had also contributed an earlier three-point shot as Michigan erased a thirteen-point deficit to force the overtime. [78] Pelinka also contributed his season-high nineteen minutes and a second-half career-high eleven points (eclipsed in his senior season) in a March 11, 1992 70–61 victory against Purdue at the Mackey Arena. [79] [80] Michigan head coach Steve Fisher credited both of these wins to Pelinka and also noted his two important three-point shots against East Tennessee State. [8] The team lost in the final game of the 1992 NCAA Tournament. [81] After the season, he went with the team on a 9-game 16-day European trip. [82] According to press accounts, the team was homesick during the trip and Pelinka got sick from drinking tap water. [83]

Junior season (1991–1992)

The following season, Michigan returned its top nine scorers and began the season ranked number one in the Associated Press national ranking as Pelinka was part of a quartet of seniors backing up the Fab Five, who had become sophomores. [84] As a 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)200-pound (91 kg) fifth-year senior, [85] Pelinka started back-to-back games twice during the season. Early in the season, he started in place of the injured Jackson, but Pelinka came down with the flu after two starts against Kansas and Eastern Michigan on December 30, 1992, and January 2, 1993, respectively. [86] [87] [88] During his other set of back-to-back starts against Ohio State and Iowa on January 26 and 31, 1993, Pelinka started even though Jackson played. [89] [90] Pelinka set several season and career highs, including points (16), in the 72–62 home victory over Ohio State. [91] The sixteen points included six free throws that were among the nine consecutive Michigan made in the final 2:13. [92]

Senior season (1992–1993)

During his senior season, Pelinka was an important role player for the team who drew the most charges on the team and contributed important defensive minutes as the sixth man. [53] [93] During the 1992–93 season, he led all reserves in minutes and assists and was second in points and rebounds (to Eric Riley). Pelinka was also instrumental as a leader during the run to the Final Four. Having been the only member of the team in Seattle for the 1989 championship, when the 1993 team played its regional championship games in Seattle, Pelinka was able to show Webber the spot in the locker room where Rice had taken his pre-game nap. [94] During the Final Four weekend in New Orleans, Louisiana, Chris Webber wore Pelinka's 1989 Championship ring, which only fit on Webber's pinky finger, [95] and slept with it under his pillow. [96] During the national semifinal 81–78 overtime victory against the Kentucky Wildcats, Pelinka played in the clinching overtime period after King fouled out. [97] Nonetheless, despite a pair of early three-point shots by Pelinka after Jackson got two early personal fouls, [98] [99] the team lost in the final game of the 1993 NCAA Tournament against North Carolina. [100] When the team returned to Ann Arbor, Michigan for a rally at Crisler Arena the following day, Pelinka was one of only two Wolverines to speak to the crowd. [101] After his senior season, he played in an NBA Summer Camp in Long Beach, California and considered offers to play professionally in Europe. [102] At this time, he first met sports agent Arn Tellem and decided not to play basketball. [102] As of 2004 he remained in 15th place on the all-time Michigan games played list. [9] Pelinka won the 1993 NCAA Walter Byers Postgraduate Scholarship award (NCAA Male Scholar Athlete of the Year). [3]

Sports agent career

After passing the Illinois bar examination and receiving his license to practice in 1996, [2] Pelinka joined Mayer Brown. [3] After two years at Mayer Brown, [102] Arn Tellem convinced Pelinka to become a lawyer for SFX management, [3] and after two years at SFX, he became an agent. [9] While with SFX, he worked with Tellem who represented Eddy Curry, Kwame Brown, Kobe Bryant and Tracy McGrady, all of whom went directly from high school to the National Basketball Association. [103] Pelinka had become Bryant's agent by the time of the Kobe Bryant sexual assault case. [104] While at SFX, he also became the agent for several of his current clients. [105] [106] [107] While at SFX in 2004, he was living in Santa Monica, California and dating a pediatrician. [9] NBA agents earn about 4% of the salary and bonus that they negotiate for their clients. [108]

Kobe Bryant shoots a free throw. Kobe Bryant Free Throw.jpg
Kobe Bryant shoots a free throw.

Pelinka then branched out on his own and founded The Landmark Sports Agency. Recently, he has represented several first-round lottery picks: sixth overall 2003 NBA draft selection, Chris Kaman, [109] [110] ninth overall 2004 NBA draft selection, Andre Iguodala, [111] eighth overall 2005 NBA draft selection, Channing Frye, [112] thirteenth overall 2007 NBA draft selection, Julian Wright, [113] [114] seventh overall 2008 NBA draft selection, Eric Gordon, [115] [116] and third overall 2009 NBA draft selection, James Harden, [117] 4th and 13th overall 2010 NBA draft selections, Wesley Johnson and Ed Davis, [118] 2nd overall 2011 NBA draft selection Derrick Williams, [119] and Buddy Hield, the sixth overall pick in 2016. [120]

Among the players he has formerly represented are DeShawn Stevenson and Fred Hoiberg. [9] A Los Angeles resident who was raised in Illinois, Pelinka represents two players who, like him, played high school basketball in the Chicago area (Corey Maggette and Julian Wright) and a third who had been a high school star in Springfield, Illinois (Iguodala). [121] He has represented several Arizona Wildcats players including Andre Iguodala and Channing Frye. [112] [122] Pelinka is regarded as one of the world's leading sports agents according to Business Insider , who ranked him 5th in 2010. [123]

Pelinka is well known as the agent of Kobe Bryant, who retired at the end of the 2015–16 season after 20 seasons as a perennial All-Star guard for the Los Angeles Lakers. In fact, some of his other clients have hired him because of this. [124] During the 2003 sexual assault case against Bryant, Pelinka spent a considerable amount of time with his client. He accompanied him on trips to Eagle, Colorado. [125] It was Pelinka who confirmed the news of Bryant's second child. [126] In 2004, when Bryant was a free agent, Pelinka confirmed Bryant would remain in Los Angeles with either the Lakers or the Los Angeles Clippers while rumors were flying that he was going to sign with the Chicago Bulls. [127] Subsequently, when Rudy Tomjanovich was hired to be the Lakers' head coach, he sent free agent Bryant and Pelinka a video package describing the things he has done for players at Bryant's position. [128] A few days later, Pelinka negotiated a contract for Bryant to remain with the Lakers for $136.4 million over seven years. [129] When Bryant demanded to be traded during the 2007 offseason, Pelinka confirmed that "Kobe would like to be moved." [130] He was also the godfather of Kobe's daughter, Gianna Bryant. [131]

Draft success and controversy (2008–2009)

Eric Gordon was drafted seventh overall in the 2008 NBA draft. [116] Sasha Vujačić, a 2008 restricted free agent, left his agent, Bill Duffy, and hired Pelinka to be his new agent in July 2008. [132] He had previously left Pelinka for Duffy. [133] Maggette signed on July 10 with the Golden State Warriors for $50 million over five years. [134] On July 21, Dooling was traded to the New Jersey Nets from the Orlando Magic in what was described as a sign and trade deal with no terms of the signing revealed. [135] Dooling's 2008–09 cap hold (salary cap allocation) with the Magic was $7,192,000. [136] On July 25, Vujačić, who had rejected a 3-year $12 million offer after receiving a qualifying offer of $2.6 million and had planned to accept an offer to play in Europe, signed a 3-year $15 million offer to return to the Lakers. [137] [138] However, after signing, some sources listed Vujačić as unaffiliated with any sports agent. [139]

The Philadelphia 76ers made Iguodala a qualifying offer of $3,800,625 for the 2008–09 season. [115] This gave the 76ers the right to match any superior offer sheet signed by Iguodala and gave Iguodala the option to play under the terms of the qualifying offer for one season in order to be an unrestricted free agent afterwards. In 2007, Iguodala rejected a $57 million contract extension. [140] Iguodala had a 2008–09 cap hold of $11,401,875. [141] On August 12, the 76ers and Iguodala agreed to a six-year $80 million contract. [142]

Gordon withdrew from NBA Summer League play with a strained left hamstring in mid July 2008. [143] However, rookie first round draft picks are on a strict two-year pay scale with team options for the third and fourth year, according to the collective bargaining agreement. Gordon had signed a three-year $8.4 million contract with the Clippers in early July. The contract has a fourth year qualifying option. [144]

Pelinka's clients made news off the court as Boozer filed for divorce and Bryant's former housekeeper filed suit against him in March. [145] [146]

At the 2009 NBA draft, he represented third overall selection James Harden. [117] Having represented Wright at the 2007 NBA draft and Gordon at the 2008 draft, [147] this marked the third consecutive year that Pelinka represented a high first round client. Harden signed with the Oklahoma City Thunder, but terms were not disclosed. [148] For the 2009–10 NBA season, Wright's contract is at a team option of $2,000,040, Bryant and Boozer have player's options of $23,034,375 and $12,323,900 respectively and Frye's qualifying offer amount was $4,264,760. [115] Prior to the June 30 decision deadline, Bryant elected not to opt out of his contract and was expected to sign a new three-year extension. [149] Also prior to the deadline, Boozer decided to exercise the final year of his contract with the Jazz. [150] The New Orleans Hornets exercised their team option on Wright. [151] The Portland Trail Blazers decided not to make Frye a qualifying offer, which made him an unrestricted free agent, and prevented the Blazers from having the right to match the two-year offer he agreed to with the Phoenix Suns. [152] [153]

Draftees represented
DraftSelectionPlayerNotes
2003 6th Chris Kaman [109] [110]
2004 9th Andre Iguodala [111]
2005 8th Channing Frye [112]
2007 13th Julian Wright [113] [114]
2008 7th Eric Gordon [115] [116]
2009 3rd James Harden [117]
2010 4th Wesley Johnson [118]
13th Ed Davis [118]
2011 2nd Derrick Williams [119]
2012 4th Dion Waiters [154]
9th Andre Drummond [154]
2014 5th Dante Exum [155]
24th Shabazz Napier [156]
2015 24th Tyus Jones [157]
2016 6th Buddy Hield [158]
8th Marquese Chriss [158]

Large contracts (2010–2011)

WesJohnson.JPG
20081024 Ed Davis shoots over Tyler Hansbrough in an intrasquad scrimmage cropped.jpg
Wesley Johnson (left) and Ed Davis (shooting right) were Pelinka clients in the 2010 NBA draft.

Toward the end of the 2009–10 NBA season Pelinka negotiated a three-year extension for Bryant, committing him to the Lakers through the 2013–14 season. [159] Boozer becomes an unrestricted free agent when the 2009–10 season ends. [160] Fisher is also unsigned. [161] Pelinka has signed both Johnson and Davis who were chosen 4th and 13th respectively in the 2010 NBA draft. [118] On July 14, the Lakers announced that they resigned Fisher to what was reported to be a 3-year $10.5 million contract according to ESPN. [162] NBA.com reported that Boozer signed a 5-year $75 million contract with the Chicago Bulls. [163]

In addition to 2011 NBA Draft prospect Williams, Pelinka had to represent unsigned Peterson and Vujacic; team option players Gordon and Harden and qualifying option player Wright following the 2010–11 NBA season. [164] Williams was selected 2nd overall. [119] O. J. Mayo signed with Pelinka in the offseason, [165] bringing Pelinka's client list up to 18 NBA players. [166] On June 28, the Oklahoma City Thunder exercised team options on several players including Harden. [167]

At the beginning of the 2011 NBA lockout, Pelinka, who represented 18 NBA players at the time, was considering putting together a touring team to play exhibition games in China. [166] [168] During the lockout Bryant received offers to play for Virtus Pallacanestro Bologna that Pelinka negotiated. [169] Although there were difficulties signing Bryant to play in October to due scheduling conflicts, Virtus made an offer worth over $3 million for Bryant to play in 10 games starting in November. [170] [171]

Vujacic signed a one-year deal to play with the Anadolu Efes of the Turkish Basketball League. His contract did not have an out clause if the NBA lockout was resolved early enough to salvage the 2011–12 NBA season. [172] On December 13, Williams signed with the Timberwolves. [173] 4-year veteran Wright and 11-year veteran Peterson did not sign with NBA teams.

In February, Durant left long-time agent Aaron Goodwin. [174] The following month he signed with Pelinka who represented his teammate Harden. [175] Pelinka signed Dion Waiters. [176] At the NBA Draft Combine, Pelinka had Waiters stop his workouts and skip the interview portions of the combine. There was speculation that he had a high draft position promise. [177] [178] Pelinka also signed Andre Drummond. [179] Waiters was selected fourth overall by the Cleveland Cavaliers and Drummond was selected ninth overall by the Detroit Pistons. [154] At the end of the 2011–12 NBA season, Kaman, [180] Wallace, [181] Fisher [182] and Dooling [183] were unsigned. The New Jersey Nets had Bird rights to Wallace. [184] Mayo, Gordon, Johnson and newly signed Austin Daye all had options.

Waiters signed a $16.7 million four-year contract (two years, plus two team options) that was based on the rookie wage scales determined by the collective bargaining agreement. [185] Drummond also signed a multi-year contract. [186] Kaman signed a one-year $8 million contract with the Dallas Mavericks. [187] Wallace re-signed with the Nets for 4 years and $40 million. [188] The Memphis Grizzlies did not make Mayo a $7.2 million qualifying offer, thus allowing him to become an unrestricted free agent. He subsequently signed with the Mavericks for two years (with a player option in the second year). [189] The New Orleans Hornets matched the Phoenix Suns' 4-year $58 million contract for Gordon. [190]

Later agent years (2013–2016)

In April 2013, Pelinka was inducted into his high school's wall of fame. [191] Durant left Pelinka in the offseason. [192] Iguodala declined a one-year $16 million contract from the Denver Nuggets and met with a half dozen teams when the free agency period opened. [193] He then signed a four-year $48 million contract with the Golden State Warriors. [194] Mayo was also an unrestricted free agent. [195] Pelinka's 2010 fourth overall draftee Johnson signed a one-year deal with the Lakers for the 4th year veteran's minimum salary of $916,099 after, teaming with Pelinka clients Bryant as well as Kaman, [196] [197] who signed with the Lakers the prior week. [198] Trevor Ariza switched agents to sign with Pelinka one year before his contract with the Washington Wizards was due to expire. [199] On November 25, Bryant signed a two-year contract extension with the Lakers at an estimated value of $48.5 million that made him the first NBA player to play 20 years with the same franchise. [200] He remained the league's highest-paid player, despite accepting the discounted deal; he had been eligible to receive an extension starting at $32 million per year. [201]

Pelinka signed Dante Exum, who was selected by the Utah Jazz [155] with the fifth overall pick in the 2014 NBA draft [202] on June 26, 2014. On July 11, 2014, Exum signed with the Jazz. [203] Pelinka also represented Shabazz Napier, [204] chosen 24th overall in the 2014 draft by the Charlotte Hornets, who was later traded to the Miami Heat on draft night. [156] [205]

In the 2014 free agency period, Pelinka represented unsigned players Kaman, Fisher, Ariza, and Johnson; team option Drummond and Williams; qualifying offer player Davis. [206] Kaman signed a two-year $9.8 million contract to play for the Portland Trail Blazers. [207] Fisher signed a 5-year $25 million contract to be head coach for the New York Knicks. [208] Ariza agreed to a 4-year $32 million contract to play for the Houston Rockets. [209] Late in the year, Drummond left Pelinka for Jeff Schwartz. [210]

Pelinka was rumored to be in the running to represent Stanley Johnson, [211] but ultimately lost to Bill Duffy. [212] In May 2015, Pelinka signed Shabazz Muhammad. [213] He represented Tyus Jones at the June 25, 2015 NBA draft, where he was selected 24th by the Cleveland Cavaliers, who then traded him to his hometown Minnesota Timberwolves. [157] Pelinka negotiated Harden a $200 million contract with Adidas that Nike opted not to match in August. [214]

In January 2016, Avery Bradley left Mitchell Butler to sign with Pelinka after being disappointed with the results of a contract extension. [215] During the lead-up to the 2016 NBA draft, Buddy Hield, the consensus college player of the year in 2015–16, signed with Pelinka. [120] Marquese Chriss also signed with Pelinka. [216] Hield was drafted 6th and Chriss was selected 8th. [158]

Executive career

Los Angeles Lakers (2017–present)

On February 21, 2017, media sources reported that the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA) were set to hire Pelinka to serve as general manager as part of a management shakeup that included the hiring of Magic Johnson as executive vice president of basketball operations in place of Jim Buss and dismissing former GM Mitch Kupchak. [217] On March 7, Pelinka signed a five-year deal to be the general manager of the Lakers. [218] After he quit the Lakers, Johnson in an interview on ESPN's First Take on May 20, 2019, stated that Pelinka wanted his position and "backstabbed" him. [219] Pelinka has been criticized for his penchant for "storytelling", in other words embellishing or even totally misrepresenting the truth at times throughout his tenure with the Lakers. According to sources, in March 2018, as Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson addressed the players on the roster as part of a "Genius Talks" series, Pelinka told a story about his former client Kobe Bryant. [220] In the story, Pelinka stated that after Bryant had seen the Heath Ledger film The Dark Knight, he requested Pelinka set him up with a dinner appointment with Ledger to see how Ledger pushed himself to focus and lock into the role of the Joker. According to Pelinka, Bryant "had dinner with Heath, and he talked about how he locks in for a role... and Kobe used some of that in his game against the Knicks." [220] However, the Dark Knight film was released 6 months after Ledger's death, and a source close to the situation denied that such a dinner had ever taken place. [220] In the words of a 2019 Lakers coaching staff member, "We think, more often than not, he's not being truthful. That goes throughout the organization." [220]

On January 10, 2020, Pelinka was promoted to vice president of basketball operations while also maintaining his role as GM. [221]

In 2020, Pelinka finished in 7th place for the Executive of the Year Award. [222]

College statistics

The following are Pelinka's career statistics at the University of Michigan: [223]

SeasonGPGSMPGFG%3FG%FT%RPGAPGSTLBLKPPG
1988–892414.5.360.2860.70.60.4321.2
1990–912918.288.2900.5831.10.4501.7
1991–922809.1.404.3200.8711.60.7302.8
1992–9336415.9.417.4000.7622.11614.3
Total117610.379.3460.7681.40.61732.7

Personal life

Pelinka entered the Bachelor of Business Administration program at the University of Michigan's Ross School of Business where he accumulated a 3.9/4.0 grade point average. [224] During his time at Michigan, he developed a close relationship with University of Michigan tax law professor Doug Kahn and his wife. [102] In January 1993, Pelinka announced he was accepted to the University of Michigan Law School and the Northwestern University School of Law and stated that he hoped to become a professional sports agent after his athletic and academic careers were complete. [225] After Michigan won the 1993 NCAA West Regional Final, Pelinka, who was one of six finalists, [226] flew to St. Louis, Missouri for a final interview for the Walter Byers Scholarship. [227] Later that week, Pelinka was honored with the 1993 Walter Byers Scholar Award as the NCAA's top male scholar athlete. [53] [224] Pelinka earned a variety of other scholar athlete awards. [228] [229]

Instead of playing basketball in Europe, Pelinka chose to attend Michigan Law School after graduation and became a top law student. During his first year of law school, several of his former teammates appeared in Blue Chips : Billy Douglass (Lake Forest), Eric Anderson (Chicago All-star), and Demitrius Calip (Michigan). [230] While in law school, he took several classes from Kahn. [102] During his second year in law school, he became the home game color analyst for Wolverines basketball play-by-play announcer Chuck Swirsky on a 16-station broadcast network that originated from WJR-AM, [231] and he debuted on December 22, 1994, during a game against Jackson State University. [232] While in law school, he interned for Winston & Strawn LLP. [231] Pelinka earned his Juris Doctor cum laude in 1996. [2]

See also

Notes

  1. 1 2 3 Pritzker, Hal (December 6, 1987). "Lake Forest's Pelinka hot shot with 3-pointer" . Chicago Sun-Times . Newsbank. Retrieved July 19, 2008.
  2. 1 2 3 "Lawyer Search: Attorney's Registration and Public Disciplinary Record for Robert Todd Pelinka". Attorney Registration & Disciplinary Commission of the Supreme Court of Illinois. May 14, 2008. Archived from the original on September 24, 2015. Retrieved May 15, 2008.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 Sweet, David (November 4, 2004). "Catching Up With ... - Pelinka shines as agent to the stars" . Lake Forester. Newsbank. Retrieved July 20, 2008.
  4. "Landmark Sports Agency". Archived from the original on May 17, 2008. Retrieved June 27, 2008.
  5. "Derrick Williams Picks Rob Pelinka Of Landmark Sports Agency". Business Insider. April 26, 2011. Archived from the original on May 3, 2011. Retrieved May 14, 2011.
  6. "Sources: Boozer's agent resigns after reversal". July 12, 2004. Archived from the original on March 1, 2022. Retrieved March 1, 2022.
  7. "Final Four Notebook; Cheaney On Verge Of a Sweep". The New York Times . April 3, 1993. Archived from the original on May 26, 2015. Retrieved May 15, 2009.
  8. 1 2 3 4 Kornacki, Steve (March 26, 1992). "Pelinka No U-M Palooka Link To '89 Title Makes Big Shots" . Detroit Free Press . Retrieved June 3, 2009.
  9. 1 2 3 4 5 Heuser, John (March 8, 2004). "Pelinka talks a good game - Former U-M player has to stay in touch as a sports agent" . Ann Arbor News . Newsbank. Retrieved June 7, 2009.
  10. Bell, Taylor (January 10, 1987). "Free throw contest missing on Niemann" . Chicago Sun-Times . Newsbank. Retrieved July 19, 2008.
  11. Hanley, Reid (January 15, 1987). "Lake Forest Grows In Stature, Victories" . Chicago Tribune . Newsbank. Retrieved July 19, 2008.
  12. Bell, Taylor (January 27, 1987). "Sun-Times super 25" . Chicago Sun-Times . Newsbank. Retrieved July 19, 2008.
  13. "Sun-Times super 25" . Chicago Sun-Times . Newsbank. March 6, 1987. Retrieved July 19, 2008.
  14. Sullivan, Pat (March 5, 1987). "New Trier Center Cools Lake Forest Late Surge" . Chicago Tribune . Newsbank. Retrieved July 19, 2008.
  15. Milbert, Neil (March 9, 1991). "Douglass Didn't Follow Dad But Always Got His Support" . Chicago Tribune . Newsbank. Retrieved July 19, 2008.
  16. "Chicago Area's Top 50 Players" . Chicago Sun-Times . Newsbank. November 18, 1987. Retrieved July 19, 2008.
  17. "Conference previews" . Chicago Sun-Times . Newsbank. November 18, 1987. Retrieved July 19, 2008.
  18. Sullivan, Paul (April 10, 1988). "Shooters Are In Demand - 3-Point Rule Gives The Little Guy A Shot At The Big Time" . Chicago Tribune . Newsbank. Retrieved July 19, 2008.
  19. Bell, Taylor (December 27, 1987). "Hambric's manifesto: 'no access' - Simeon coach insists on barring team from media" . Chicago Sun-Times . Newsbank. Retrieved July 19, 2008.
  20. McDonald, Sean (December 31, 1987). "Hot Pelinka can't save Lake Forest" . Chicago Sun-Times . Newsbank. Retrieved July 19, 2008.
  21. McDonald, Sean (December 29, 1987). "Lk. Forest, Weber in triumphs" . Chicago Sun-Times . Newsbank. Retrieved July 19, 2008.
  22. Mulligan, Mike (January 9, 1988). "De Sales, Leo keep rolling" . Chicago Sun-Times . Newsbank. Retrieved July 19, 2008.
  23. "High School Leaders" . Chicago Sun-Times . Newsbank. January 19, 1990. Retrieved July 19, 2008.
  24. Bell, Taylor, Bill Figel, Mike Mulligan, and Mark Potash (January 3, 1988). "Newark's Olson is making his mark" . Chicago Sun-Times . Newsbank. Retrieved July 19, 2008.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  25. Potash, Mark (January 14, 1988). "L. Forest's Pelinka an ex-sleeper" . Chicago Sun-Times . Newsbank. Retrieved July 19, 2008.
  26. "IHSA Member Schools". Illinois High School Association. Archived from the original on August 28, 2008. Retrieved July 21, 2008.
  27. "Basketball" . Chicago Sun-Times . Newsbank. February 1, 1988. Retrieved July 19, 2008.
  28. Sullivan, Paul (February 8, 1988). "Lake Forest Star Getting Noticed - Pelinka Earns Recruiters' Attention" . Chicago Tribune . Newsbank. Retrieved July 19, 2008.
  29. Mulligan, Mike (February 13, 1988). "Pelinka lifts Lake Forest over Niles N." . Chicago Sun-Times . Newsbank. Retrieved July 19, 2008.
  30. "Oak Park's Robinson hits stride" . Chicago Sun-Times . Newsbank. February 21, 1988. Retrieved July 19, 2008.
  31. "Byrdsong's Buddy System Gets U-D Juco Help" . Detroit Free Press . April 14, 1988. Retrieved June 6, 2009.
  32. Bell, Taylor (March 4, 1988). "Catholic League's finest is top talent - Nine unanimous choices highlight 1987-'88 squad" . Chicago Sun-Times . Newsbank. Retrieved July 19, 2008.
  33. "All-Chicago Area Basketball Profiles" . Chicago Sun-Times . Newsbank. March 4, 1988. Retrieved July 19, 2008.
  34. "Class AA All-State Profiles" . Chicago Sun-Times . Newsbank. March 18, 1988. Retrieved July 19, 2008.
  35. "5 All-State Selections Will Play In All-Star Classic" . Chicago Tribune . Newsbank. March 25, 1988. Retrieved July 19, 2008.
  36. Hageman, Bill & Bob Vanderberg (April 12, 1988). "Soirts" . Chicago Tribune . Newsbank. Retrieved July 19, 2008.
  37. "Trinidad-Bound Illinois All-Stars Looking For Travel Aid" . Chicago Tribune . Newsbank. July 15, 1988. Retrieved July 20, 2008.
  38. Bell, Taylor (June 15, 1988). "Bits" . Chicago Sun-Times . Newsbank. Retrieved July 20, 2008.
  39. Temkin, Barry (June 24, 1988). "All-Star Game Offers Anderson-Ellis Rematch" . Chicago Sun-Times . Newsbank. Retrieved July 20, 2008.
  40. Jenkins, Lee (April 17, 2018). "Summer of Showtime: Why All Eyes Will Be on the Lakers". Sports Illustrated. Archived from the original on April 17, 2018. Retrieved July 18, 2009.
  41. Bell, Taylor & Dan Bickley (March 29, 1988). "Bits" . Chicago Sun-Times . Newsbank. Retrieved July 19, 2008.
  42. Bell, Taylor (April 4, 1988). "DePaul staff pointing for insurance players" . Chicago Sun-Times . Newsbank. Retrieved July 19, 2008.
  43. Temkin, Barry (April 7, 1988). "Lake Forest Basketball Star Picks Michigan Over Illinois" . Chicago Tribune . Newsbank. Retrieved July 19, 2008.
  44. "Letters Of Intent" . Chicago Tribune . Newsbank. April 14, 1988. Retrieved July 19, 2008.
  45. Montgomery, John & Clyde Travis (April 17, 1988). "City-Suburban stars get their final shots" . Chicago Sun-Times . Newsbank. Retrieved July 19, 2008.
  46. Lynch, Craig (May 21, 1988). "All-Stars edge Soviets" . Chicago Sun-Times . Newsbank. Retrieved July 19, 2008.
  47. Sullivan, Paul (April 24, 1988). "Northwest Indiana Stars Overcome N. Illinois" . Chicago Tribune . Newsbank. Retrieved July 19, 2008.
  48. Snyder, Mark (January 18, 2009). "'89 Champs Honored At Halftime" . Detroit Free Press . Retrieved June 3, 2009.
  49. Macro, Dino (February 12, 2009). "Vogrich breaks Pelinka 's record". Lake Forester. Retrieved June 3, 2009.
  50. "Matt Vogrich". Rivals.com. Archived from the original on June 2, 2009. Retrieved June 3, 2009.
  51. "Matt Vogrich". Scout.com. Archived from the original on July 16, 2011. Retrieved June 3, 2009.
  52. "Matt Vogrich". ESPN.com . Archived from the original on April 22, 2009. Retrieved June 3, 2009.
  53. 1 2 3 4 Temkin, Barry (April 2, 1993). "'Fab' Also Applies To This Role Player" . Chicago Tribune . Newsbank. Retrieved July 20, 2008.
  54. Jahnke, Krista (April 1, 2009). "Cover Story: When They Were Kings: 1989: Wolverines Had Talent - Then Proved They Had Heart - A Look Back At The Anniversaries of Two Historic NCAA Titles". Detroit Free Press . Retrieved June 3, 2009.
  55. Smith, Timothy W. (March 22, 1992). "College Basketball: Southeast Retional; Michigan Saved By 'Forgotten' Player". The New York Times . Archived from the original on April 7, 2022. Retrieved October 22, 2007.
  56. "Pelinka, Klemme win Byers Scholarship". NCAA News. National Collegiate Athletic Association. March 31, 1993. p. 6.
  57. 1 2 Ruppert, Jim (March 11, 1989). "Illini Eye No. 1 Regional Seed" . The State Journal-Register . Newsbank. Retrieved July 19, 2008.
  58. Kornacki, Steve (November 28, 1988). "Wolverines' 'Ice T' A Refreshing Change" . Detroit Free Press . Newsbank. Retrieved June 7, 2009.
  59. Markus, Robert (January 2, 1989). "Only Illini's Slate Clean Going Into League Play" . Chicago Tribune . Newsbank. Retrieved July 19, 2008.
  60. "Versus Holy Cross 12-29-1988 Jon Huntsman Center-Salt Lake City, Utah". Regents of the University of Michigan. Archived from the original on August 28, 2011. Retrieved July 20, 2008.
  61. Markus, Robert (January 7, 1989). "NU Freshman Center May Start Vs. Michigan" . Chicago Tribune . Newsbank. Retrieved July 19, 2008.
  62. Saylor, Jack (February 16, 1989). "MSU's Top Scorer Likely Out Tonight" . Detroit Free Press . Newsbank. Retrieved June 6, 2009.
  63. "1989 Men's College Basketball Bracket". CBS Interactive. Retrieved May 16, 2009.
  64. Kornacki, Steve (April 13, 1989). "U-M's Robinson Makes Bush Toe The Line" . Detroit Free Press . Retrieved June 6, 2009.
  65. Kornacki, Steve (October 16, 1989). "U-M's Vaught Speaks The Unspeakable" . Detroit Free Press . Retrieved June 6, 2009.
  66. "Sports" . Chicago Tribune . Newsbank. December 29, 1990. Retrieved July 20, 2008.
  67. "Versus Texas 12-29-1990 Arizona State University Cactus Classic Tournament, Tempe, A". Regents of the University of Michigan. Archived from the original on August 28, 2011. Retrieved July 20, 2008.
  68. Stoda, Greg (December 29, 1990). "U-M'S Final Shot Misses -- Texas Survives, 76-74". Detroit Free Press . Retrieved June 6, 2009.
  69. Stoda, Greg (February 1, 1991). "Big Start, Bigger Finish for U-M, 66-62". Detroit Free Press . Retrieved June 7, 2009.
  70. "Postseason NIT". CBS Interactive. p. 68. Archived from the original on October 1, 2010. Retrieved September 14, 2010.
  71. "Through The Years". MGoBlue.com. CBS Interactive. p. 44. Archived from the original on September 2, 2010. Retrieved September 20, 2010.
  72. Markus, Robert (March 27, 1992). "Down To Earth Freshmen Have Michigan Soaring" . Chicago Tribune . Newsbank. Retrieved July 20, 2008.
  73. Cronin, Barry & Toni Ginnetti (January 8, 1992). "The College Report" . Chicago Sun-Times . Newsbank. Retrieved July 20, 2008.
  74. Stoda, Greg (February 1, 1992). "U-M Will Try All Weapons On Ohio State's Jackson". Detroit Free Press . Retrieved June 6, 2009.
  75. Stoda, Greg (April 6, 1992). "How Will Wolverines React Tonight If . . ". Detroit Free Press . Retrieved June 6, 2009.
  76. Milbert, Neil (January 30, 1992). "Michigan's Talent Tops MSU In Overtime" . Chicago Tribune . Newsbank. Retrieved July 20, 2008.
  77. "Versus Michigan State 01-29-1992 Breslin Center, East Lansing, Mich". Regents of the University of Michigan. Archived from the original on August 28, 2011. Retrieved July 20, 2008.
  78. Saylor, Jack (January 30, 1992). "Young Wolverines Rally From A 14-Point Deficit Webber, Rose Lead The Assault". Detroit Free Press . Retrieved June 7, 2009.
  79. "Mich. St. Runs Past Minnesota" . Chicago Tribune . Newsbank. March 12, 1992. Retrieved July 20, 2008.
  80. "Versus Purdue 03-11-1992 Mackey Arena, West Lafayette, Ind". Regents of the University of Michigan. Archived from the original on August 28, 2011. Retrieved July 20, 2008.
  81. "1992 Men's College Basketball Bracket". CBS Interactive. Retrieved May 16, 2009.
  82. Stoda, Greg (May 7, 1992). "Fab Five Run Again But European Trip Might Be Forced Fun" . Detroit Free Press . Retrieved June 6, 2009.
  83. Ray, Roddy (May 18, 1992). "European Trip No Vacation For U-M" . Detroit Free Press . Retrieved June 6, 2009.
  84. Stoda, Greg (November 17, 1992). "U-M At Top Of The Polls" . Detroit Free Press . Retrieved June 6, 2009.
  85. "The Scouting Report" . Chicago Sun-Times . Newsbank. April 5, 1993. Retrieved July 20, 2008.
  86. Spadafore, Jim (January 7, 1993). "Purdue, Michigan To Clash" . Chicago Sun-Times . Newsbank. Archived from the original on January 19, 2016. Retrieved July 20, 2008.
  87. "Versus Kansas* 12-30-1992 Neal Blaisdell Arena, Honolulu, Hawaii". Regents of the University of Michigan. Archived from the original on August 28, 2011. Retrieved July 20, 2008.
  88. "Versus Eastern Michigan* 01-02-1993 Crisler Arena, Ann Arbor, Mich". Regents of the University of Michigan. Archived from the original on August 28, 2011. Retrieved July 20, 2008.
  89. "Versus Ohio State* 01-26-1993 Crisler Arena, Ann Arbor, Mich". Regents of the University of Michigan. Archived from the original on August 28, 2011. Retrieved July 23, 2008.
  90. "Versus Iowa* 01-31-1993 Carver-Hawkeye Arena, Iowa City, Iowa". Regents of the University of Michigan. Archived from the original on August 28, 2011. Retrieved July 23, 2008.
  91. "1992–93 All Games for Rob Pelinka". Regents of the University of Michigan. Archived from the original on August 28, 2011. Retrieved July 23, 2008.
  92. Stoda, Greg (January 27, 1993). "U-M Goes With The Flow Buckeyes Fall, 72-62". Detroit Free Press . Retrieved June 7, 2009.
  93. Bickley, Dan (April 5, 1993). "Pelinka Makes Points On and Off Court" . Chicago Sun-Times . Newsbank. Retrieved July 20, 2008.
  94. Stoda, Greg & Steve Kornacki (March 26, 1993). "Score Aside, Patterson Is The Winner Colonials' Senior Guard Is Fast-Breaking Cancer" . Detroit Free Press . Retrieved June 7, 2009.
  95. Kornacki, Steve (April 5, 1993). "Repeat Of Ugly Scene Isn't In Webber's Plan" . Detroit Free Press . Newsbank. Retrieved June 6, 2009.
  96. Lien, Dick (April 7, 1993). "Friends Try To Care For Chris Webber" . Peoria Journal Star . Newsbank. Retrieved July 20, 2008.
  97. Stoda, Greg (April 5, 1993). "Slowed-Down Game Tamed Wildcats Stalling Ford Wrecks UK's Blowout Streak" . Detroit Free Press . Newsbank. Retrieved June 6, 2009.
  98. "Pelinka's Prize: 'Love These Guys'" . Detroit Free Press . Newsbank. April 6, 1993. Retrieved June 6, 2009.
  99. Stoda, Greg (April 4, 1993). "Tar Heels 77 Wolverines 71 Carolina Finer Calling Time-Out It Didn't Have Seals U-M-s Bitter Loss". Detroit Free Press . Newsbank. Retrieved June 6, 2009.
  100. "1993 Men's College Basketball Bracket". CBS Sports. CBS Interactive. Retrieved May 16, 2009.
  101. Parker, Rob (April 7, 1993). "Moddy Blue Welcome Finally Turns To Cheers" . Detroit Free Press . Newsbank. Retrieved June 6, 2009.
  102. 1 2 3 4 5 Heuser, John (March 8, 2004). "Former U-M Player Has To Stay In Touch As A Sports Agent". mlive.com. prosportsgroup.com. Archived from the original on October 15, 2008. Retrieved August 20, 2008.
  103. McGraw, Mike (June 30, 2001). "Bulls will handle Curry, Chandler with kid gloves - Organization will make sure 18-year-olds make adjustment to life as - well as NBA" . Daily Herald . Newsbank. Retrieved July 20, 2008.
  104. McGraw, Mike (October 11, 2003). "Bulls' defense does the job in victory" . Daily Herald . Newsbank. Retrieved July 20, 2008.
  105. "Maggette headed for Jazz" . Chicago Tribune . Newsbank. July 15, 2003. Retrieved July 20, 2008.
  106. "Kings even series; Game 7 in Dallas" . Chicago Tribune . Newsbank. May 16, 2003. Retrieved July 20, 2008.
  107. Martinez, Marcia (June 23, 2004). "Oh, to be in Andre's shoes / Former Lanphier player expected to be top-10 pick" . The State Journal-Register . Newsbank. Retrieved July 20, 2008.
  108. "Sports Management Worldwide". Sports Management Worldwide. Archived from the original on April 12, 2009. Retrieved April 12, 2009.
  109. 1 2 "NBA Draft: Kaman takes national spotlight". CM-Life.com. June 25, 2003. Retrieved June 5, 2009.[ permanent dead link ]
  110. 1 2 "Divac Missing In Action For Very Desperate Kings" . Detroit Free Press . May 16, 2003. Retrieved June 7, 2009.
  111. 1 2 "Andre Iguodala Introductory Press Conference Quotes". NBA.com . June 25, 2004. Archived from the original on January 23, 2009. Retrieved June 5, 2009.
  112. 1 2 3 Beck, Howard (June 30, 2005). "Pro Basketball; A Nice Guy Finishes First for the Knicks". The New York Times . Archived from the original on November 11, 2012. Retrieved June 5, 2009.
  113. 1 2 Eichenhofer, Jim (June 28, 2007). "Hornets Draft Transcript: Bower, Scott on Julian Wright". NBA.com . Archived from the original on July 3, 2007. Retrieved June 3, 2009.
  114. 1 2 Chartrand, Kristi (June 28, 2007). "Wright a Lottery Pick". Scout.com . Archived from the original on August 25, 2007. Retrieved June 3, 2009.
  115. 1 2 3 4 "Rob Pelinka". DraftExpress LLC. Archived from the original on June 4, 2008. Retrieved June 27, 2008.
  116. 1 2 3 "DraftNY08". NBA Media Ventures, LLC. June 27, 2008. Archived from the original on November 1, 2008. Retrieved June 27, 2008.
  117. 1 2 3 "James Harden". DraftExpress LLC. Archived from the original on March 17, 2009. Retrieved May 12, 2009.
  118. 1 2 3 4 "Draft NY10". NBA.com . Archived from the original on June 21, 2010. Retrieved June 25, 2010.
  119. 1 2 3 Barrero, Jim (June 23, 2011). "Derrick Williams picked No. 2 overall". ESPN. Archived from the original on June 25, 2011. Retrieved June 23, 2011.
  120. 1 2 Aber, Ryan (April 21, 2016). "Oklahoma basketball: Buddy Hield hires Kobe Bryant's agent". OU Blog. Oklahoma City: The Oklahoman. Archived from the original on April 24, 2016. Retrieved June 26, 2016.
  121. Daniels, Matt (August 5, 2007). "McBride looks toward pro career" . The State Journal-Register . Newsbank. Retrieved July 20, 2008.
  122. JonathanG (September 19, 2006). "Lute!". truehoop.com. Archived from the original on December 2, 2006. Retrieved February 21, 2007.
  123. Lubin, Gus (November 29, 2010). "The 12 Best Sports Agents In The World: #5 Rob Pelinka". Business Insider . Archived from the original on November 27, 2011. Retrieved October 24, 2011.
  124. Fagan, Kate (March 18, 2009). "Sixers Notes:Iguodala in Bryant's long shadow". Philadelphia Inquirer . Retrieved June 3, 2009.
  125. Jamie Colby, Carol McKinley, Rita Cosby, Catherine Donaldson-Evans and The Associated Press (October 10, 2003). "Detective Details Alleged Rape in Kobe Hearing". FOXNews.com. Archived from the original on April 9, 2007. Retrieved February 24, 2007.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  126. "NBA stars to be dads again" . Chicago Tribune . Newsbank. November 9, 2005. Retrieved April 7, 2022.
  127. Johnson, K.C. (July 15, 2004). "Bulls seriously courted Bryant" . Chicago Tribune . Newsbank. Retrieved July 20, 2008.
  128. "B" . The Southern Illinoisan . Newsbank. July 11, 2004. Retrieved July 20, 2008.
  129. Brown, Tim (July 16, 2004). "Lakers lock up Bryant - Star guard signs 7-year contract" . Chicago Tribune . Newsbank. Retrieved July 20, 2008.
  130. "Kobe keeps pressuring Lakers to trade him" . Northwest Herald . Newsbank. June 20, 2007. Retrieved July 20, 2008.
  131. Mizoguchi, Karen (January 30, 2020). "Lakers GM Rob Pelinka Mourns Deaths of 'Best Friend' Kobe Bryant and 'Sweet Goddaughter' Gianna". People . Archived from the original on February 26, 2020. Retrieved February 26, 2020.
  132. "Fantasy/Player News". NBA.com. NBA Media Ventures, LLC. July 18, 2008. Archived from the original on August 2, 2008. Retrieved July 23, 2008.
  133. Carr, Janice (July 15, 2008). "Vujacic switches agents again". Orange County Register . Archived from the original on December 1, 2008. Retrieved March 14, 2009.
  134. "Golden State signs veteran swingman Maggette". ESPN. July 10, 2008. Archived from the original on October 26, 2012. Retrieved July 23, 2008.
  135. "Nets acquire G Keyon Dooling from Magic". ESPN. July 21, 2008. Archived from the original on October 26, 2012. Retrieved July 23, 2008.
  136. "Magic Team Salaries". DraftExpress LLC. Archived from the original on August 3, 2008. Retrieved July 23, 2008.
  137. "After hearing offers from Europe, Vujacic signs deal to return to Lakers". ESPN. July 28, 2008. Archived from the original on July 1, 2009. Retrieved May 12, 2009.
  138. "Lakers Team Salaries". DraftExpress LLC. Archived from the original on May 1, 2008. Retrieved July 23, 2008.
  139. "Sasa Vujacic". DraftExpress LLC. Archived from the original on March 1, 2009. Retrieved March 14, 2009.
  140. "Stefanski wants Cheeks, Iguodala to be part of Sixers' bright future". ESPN. May 7, 2008. Archived from the original on September 19, 2008. Retrieved July 23, 2008.
  141. "Sixers Team Salaries". DraftExpress LLC. Archived from the original on May 10, 2008. Retrieved July 23, 2008.
  142. Abbott, Henry (August 12, 2008). "Sources: Iguodala agrees to six-year, $80 million deal with Sixers". ESPN. Archived from the original on September 29, 2014. Retrieved August 13, 2008.
  143. Stein, Marc (July 13, 2008). "Clippers' Gordon injures hamstring, done with summer league". ESPN. Archived from the original on July 23, 2008. Retrieved July 24, 2008.
  144. "Clippers Sign Eric Gordon". NBA.com . July 2, 2008. Archived from the original on March 7, 2009. Retrieved May 12, 2009.
  145. Siler, Ross (March 27, 2009). "Jazz's Boozer files for divorce". Salt Lake Tribune . Retrieved June 3, 2009.
  146. "Former housekeeper sues Kobe Bryant, his wife". Associated Press. March 25, 2009. Retrieved June 3, 2009.
  147. "BDA Sports Leads The Way With Five First-Round NBA Draft Picks". SportsBusiness Daily. Street & Smith. June 29, 2007. Archived from the original on April 7, 2022. Retrieved May 18, 2009.
  148. "Harden, Mullens sign with Thunder". ESPN. July 11, 2009. Archived from the original on July 14, 2009. Retrieved July 14, 2009.
  149. "Lakers, Bryant to work toward new deal". ESPN.com . July 2, 2009. Archived from the original on July 4, 2009. Retrieved July 5, 2009.
  150. "Boozer opts for Jazz for another season". San Francisco Chronicle . July 1, 2009. Archived from the original on April 7, 2022. Retrieved July 5, 2009.
  151. Eichenhofer, Jim (June 1, 2009). "2008-09 Season in Review: Julian Wright". NBA.com . Archived from the original on November 6, 2012. Retrieved July 5, 2009.
  152. Quick, Jason (June 29, 2009). "Trail Blazers will not make a qualifying offer to Channing Frye". The Oregonian . Archived from the original on July 1, 2009. Retrieved July 5, 2009.
  153. Ford, Chad (July 11, 2009). "Source: Ex-Blazer Frye to Phoenix". ESPN. Archived from the original on July 14, 2009. Retrieved July 14, 2009.
  154. 1 2 3 "Hornets select Anthony Davis". ESPN. June 29, 2012. Archived from the original on June 29, 2012. Retrieved June 30, 2012.
  155. 1 2 "Jazz Selects Exum, Hood in 2014 NBA Draft". NBA.com . June 26, 2014. Archived from the original on July 14, 2014. Retrieved July 13, 2014.
  156. 1 2 "HEAT Acquires Shabazz Napier in the 2014 NBA Draft". NBA.com . June 27, 2014. Archived from the original on August 6, 2017. Retrieved July 13, 2014.
  157. 1 2 Medcalf, Myron (June 26, 2015). "Tyus Jones' draft dream is realized". ESPN. Archived from the original on April 15, 2016. Retrieved April 1, 2016.
  158. 1 2 3 "NBA draft 2016: Complete coverage". ESPN. June 23, 2016. Archived from the original on June 27, 2016. Retrieved June 29, 2016.
  159. Markazi, Arash (April 3, 2010). "Bryant signs for 3 years, nearly $90M". ESPN. Archived from the original on April 6, 2010. Retrieved May 13, 2010.
  160. Buckley, Tim (March 19, 2010). "Utah Jazz notebook: Carlos Boozer confident Jazz may find way to re-sign him". Deseret News . Archived from the original on May 23, 2010. Retrieved May 13, 2010.
  161. "Rob Pelinka". DraftExpress LLC. Archived from the original on May 15, 2010. Retrieved May 13, 2010.
  162. McMenamin, Dave (July 15, 2010). "Lakers have Blake, Fisher in fold". ESPN. Archived from the original on July 17, 2010. Retrieved July 19, 2010.
  163. "Bulls make it official, sign Carlos Boozer". NBA.com . July 8, 2010. Archived from the original on July 10, 2010. Retrieved July 19, 2010.
  164. "Rob Pelinka". Draftexpress.com. Archived from the original on March 11, 2011. Retrieved May 14, 2011.
  165. Tillery, Ronald (September 22, 2011). "O.J. Mayo has new agent and attitude". The Commercial Appeal . Archived from the original on October 1, 2011. Retrieved October 24, 2011.
  166. 1 2 Holmes, Baxter (July 2, 2011). "Kobe Bryant might take part in exhibition games in China". Los Angeles Times . Archived from the original on July 8, 2011. Retrieved January 24, 2011.
  167. Goss, Nicholas (June 28, 2011). "NBA: OKC Thunder Pick Up Options for James Harden, Eric Maynor, Others". Bleacher Report . Archived from the original on January 19, 2016. Retrieved December 29, 2011.
  168. Dillman, Lisa (July 6, 2011). "NBA lockout 2011: Clipper Eric Gordon's plans". Los Angeles Times . Archived from the original on July 11, 2011. Retrieved January 24, 2011.
  169. "Kobe Bryant has offer to play in Italy". ESPN. September 23, 2011. Archived from the original on October 22, 2011. Retrieved October 24, 2011.
  170. "Italian team chasing Kobe Bryant". ESPN. October 18, 2011. Archived from the original on October 20, 2011. Retrieved October 24, 2011.
  171. "Continuing NBA lockout gives Bologna Bryant hope". The Times of India . October 11, 2011. Archived from the original on October 13, 2011. Retrieved October 24, 2011.
  172. Manfred, Tony (November 30, 2011). "Maria Sharapova's Fiancee Is Now Marooned In Turkey For The Entire NBA Season". Business Insider . Archived from the original on April 25, 2012. Retrieved December 8, 2011.
  173. "Timberwolves add Barea to the roster". Pierce County Herald. December 13, 2011. Retrieved December 14, 2011.[ permanent dead link ]
  174. "Kevin Durant Leaves Longtime Agent Aaron Goodwin". SLAM Magazine . February 18, 2012. Archived from the original on April 20, 2012. Retrieved June 26, 2012.
  175. "Kevin Durant Signs With Agent Rob Pelinka". SLAM Magazine . March 19, 2012. Archived from the original on June 18, 2012. Retrieved June 26, 2012.
  176. "Waiters Signs On With NBA Agent Pelinka". The Post-Standard . April 21, 2012. Archived from the original on January 25, 2013. Retrieved April 22, 2012. Former Syracuse University basketball player Dion Waiters, who decided two weeks ago that he would enter this year's NBA draft after two years at SU, has signed with NBA agent Rob Pelinka.
  177. Katz, Andy (June 12, 2012). "Quick hitters from NBA draft combine". ESPN. Archived from the original on June 16, 2012. Retrieved June 26, 2012.
  178. Goodman, Jeff (June 8, 2012). "NBA Draft Combine: Dozen winners and losers". CBS Sports . Archived from the original on April 7, 2022. Retrieved June 26, 2012.
  179. Goodman, Jeff (June 6, 2012). "2012 NBA Draft: Player agent list". CBS Sports . Archived from the original on April 7, 2022. Retrieved June 26, 2012.
  180. Pruitt, Joye (May 9, 2012). "2012 NBA Free Agency: 5 Big Men Miami Heat Must Target This Offseason". Bleacher Report . Archived from the original on May 12, 2014. Retrieved June 26, 2012.
  181. Shepard, Ernest (June 26, 2012). "NBA Free Agents 2012: The Hottest Under-the-Radar Targets at Every Position". Bleacher Report . Archived from the original on June 29, 2012. Retrieved June 26, 2012.
  182. Berman, Marc (June 12, 2012). "Fisher may be answer for Knicks". New York Post . Archived from the original on June 15, 2012. Retrieved June 26, 2012.
  183. "HoopsHype.com Rumors". HoopsHype.com. June 16, 2012. Archived from the original on May 13, 2014. Retrieved June 26, 2012.
  184. Bondy, Stefan (June 14, 2012). "Gerald Wallace to test NBA free agency". Daily News . Archived from the original on June 18, 2012. Retrieved June 26, 2012.
  185. Schmitt Boyer, Mary (July 5, 2012). "Cleveland Cavaliers sign draft picks Dion Waiters, Tyler Zeller to four-year contracts". Cleveland.com. Archived from the original on July 8, 2012. Retrieved July 19, 2012.
  186. "Pistons sign center Andre Drummond". ESPN. July 10, 2012. Archived from the original on July 18, 2012. Retrieved July 19, 2012.
  187. "Chris Kaman agrees to one-year deal with Mavericks; Brendan Haywood to receive amnesty". Sporting News . July 11, 2012. Archived from the original on July 15, 2012. Retrieved July 19, 2012.
  188. "Gerald Wallace happy with Deron Williams, Brooklyn Nets". USA Today . July 16, 2012. Archived from the original on July 18, 2012. Retrieved July 19, 2012.
  189. "Source: O.J. Mayo, Mavs agree". ESPN. July 17, 2012. Archived from the original on February 16, 2013. Retrieved July 19, 2012.
  190. Stein, Marc (July 14, 2012). "Hornets bring back Eric Gordon". ESPN. Archived from the original on July 17, 2012. Retrieved July 19, 2012.
  191. Bonato, Bryan (April 5, 2013). "Lake Forest hoops legend Rob Pelinka inducted onto school's Wall of Fame". Lake County News-Sun . Archived from the original on June 30, 2013. Retrieved July 7, 2013.
  192. Amick, Sam (June 7, 2013). "Kevin Durant leaves agent, may work with Jay-Z". USA Today . Archived from the original on June 14, 2013. Retrieved July 4, 2013.
  193. Williams, Darrell (July 3, 2013). "Pelicans aim for Tyreke Evans, Andre Iguodala". The Advocate . Archived from the original on December 3, 2013. Retrieved July 4, 2013.
  194. Tafur, Vic (July 5, 2013). "Warriors make trade, agree to deal with Iguodala". San Francisco Chronicle . Archived from the original on July 9, 2013. Retrieved July 11, 2013.
  195. Wolfson, Darren (June 30, 2013). "Wolfson: Saunders to meet with free agents Redick, Dunleavy Jr". KSTP. Archived from the original on December 2, 2013. Retrieved July 11, 2013.
  196. Pincus, Eric (July 18, 2013). "Lakers' Wesley Johnson ready for 'most important' season of his life". Los Angeles Times . Archived from the original on July 24, 2013. Retrieved July 26, 2013.
  197. Medina, Mark (July 18, 2013). "Lakers have high hopes for Wesley Johnson". Los Angeles Daily News . Archived from the original on July 23, 2013. Retrieved July 26, 2013.
  198. "Lakers Sign Chris Kaman". NBA.com . July 12, 2013. Archived from the original on July 15, 2013. Retrieved July 26, 2013.
  199. Standig, Ben (July 15, 2013). "Ariza switches agents entering final contract year". Comcast SportsNet. Archived from the original on July 19, 2013. Retrieved July 26, 2013.
  200. Helin, Kurt (November 25, 2013). "Lakers sign Kobe Bryant to two-year, $48.5 million contract extension". NBC Sports. Archived from the original on November 26, 2013. Retrieved November 27, 2013.
  201. Pincus, Eric (November 25, 2013). "Lakers sign Kobe Bryant to a two-year contract extension". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on November 26, 2013.
  202. Ford, Chad (January 28, 2014). "Dante Exum declares for draft". ESPN. Archived from the original on July 3, 2016. Retrieved April 25, 2014.
  203. "Jazz Signs First-Round Picks Danté Exum and Rodney Hood". NBA.com . July 11, 2014. Archived from the original on July 14, 2014. Retrieved July 13, 2014.
  204. Amore, Don (June 26, 2014). "UConn's Napier Drafted By Hornets, Traded To Heat; Daniels To Toronto At No. 37". Hartford Courant . Archived from the original on July 8, 2014. Retrieved June 27, 2014.
  205. Windhorst, Brian (June 27, 2014). "Heat trade up for Shabazz Napier". ESPN. Archived from the original on July 14, 2014. Retrieved July 13, 2014.
  206. "Rob Pelinka". Draftexpress.com. Archived from the original on March 11, 2011. Retrieved June 27, 2014.
  207. "Chris Kaman to join Trail Blazers". ESPN. July 4, 2014. Archived from the original on July 11, 2014. Retrieved July 13, 2014.
  208. Mahoney, Rob (June 14, 2014). "Reports: Derek Fisher accepts Knicks job, finalizing five-year, $25 million contract". Sports Illustrated . Archived from the original on July 14, 2014. Retrieved July 13, 2014.
  209. "Rockets to sign Trevor Ariza". ESPN. July 12, 2014. Archived from the original on July 13, 2014. Retrieved July 13, 2014.
  210. Ellis, Vince (April 11, 2015). "Pistons' Drummond: I'm not focused on contract extension". Detroit Free Press . Archived from the original on April 16, 2015. Retrieved May 1, 2015.
  211. Deveney, Sean (February 26, 2015). "Pistons' Drummond: I'm not focused on contract extension". Sporting News . Archived from the original on April 16, 2015. Retrieved May 1, 2015.
  212. Mayo, David (July 8, 2015). "Stanley Johnson got challenged early by Pacers; they messed with wrong guy". MLive.com . Archived from the original on April 14, 2016. Retrieved April 1, 2016.
  213. Young, Lindsey M. (May 29, 2015). "Lynx Start Preseason, Stephen Curry and LeBron James Prepare to Face off in NBA Finals". SB Nation . Archived from the original on April 17, 2016. Retrieved April 1, 2016.
  214. Rovell, Darren (August 13, 2015). "James Harden will join Adidas as Nike opts not to match $200M offer". ESPN. Archived from the original on April 11, 2016. Retrieved April 1, 2016.
  215. Moore, Matt (January 26, 2016). "Report: Celtics' Avery Bradley 'unhappy' with contract situation". CBS Sports . Archived from the original on April 13, 2016. Retrieved April 1, 2016.
  216. "Chriss, Murray set for NBA Draft Thursday". SB Nation. June 22, 2016. Archived from the original on June 25, 2016. Retrieved June 29, 2016.
  217. Moore, Matt (February 21, 2017). "Lakers hire former Kobe Bryant agent Rob Pelinka for GM role next to Magic Johnson". CBS Sports . Archived from the original on February 22, 2017. Retrieved February 22, 2017.
  218. "Lakers Name Rob Pelinka General Manager". NBA.com. March 7, 2017. Archived from the original on May 31, 2021. Retrieved March 13, 2017.
  219. "Magic Johnson says Lakers GM Rob Pelinka a Backstabbing POS". YouTube. March 22, 2017. Archived from the original on November 17, 2021. Retrieved March 22, 2017.
  220. 1 2 3 4 Holmes, Baxter (May 28, 2019). "Lakers 2.0: The failed reboot of the NBA's crown jewel". ESPN. Archived from the original on May 13, 2021. Retrieved May 10, 2021.
  221. "Report:Lakers extend contract of promoted executive Rob Pelinka". nba.com. January 10, 2020. Retrieved October 18, 2020.
  222. "Lawrence Frank wins 2019-20 NBA Basketball Executive of the Year Award". www.nba.com. Archived from the original on March 6, 2021. Retrieved April 16, 2021.
  223. "Men's Basketball Statistic Archive Query Page". Regents of the University of Michigan. Archived from the original on April 18, 2010. Retrieved July 20, 2008.
  224. 1 2 "Plus Sports" . Chicago Sun-Times . Newsbank. April 1, 1993. Retrieved July 20, 2008.
  225. "Vaughn's Season - Might Not Be Over" . Chicago Sun-Times . Newsbank. January 15, 1993. Retrieved July 20, 2008.
  226. Stoda, Greg (March 29, 1993). "Not-So-Fab Five: Temple Coach Chaney Isn't U-M's Biggest Fan" . Detroit Free Press . Newsbank. Retrieved June 6, 2009.
  227. Lien, Dick (April 5, 1993). "Casino Could Cost City Future Tournaments" . Peoria Journal Star . Newsbank. Retrieved July 20, 2008.
  228. Mayer, Larry & John Owens (June 4, 1993). "Metro Sports. Bits & Pieces" . Chicago Tribune . Newsbank. Retrieved July 20, 2008.
  229. Conklin, Mike (December 2, 1993). "Merrillville Minor League? Not So Fast" . Chicago Tribune . Newsbank. Retrieved July 20, 2008.
  230. "Blue Chips (1994)". IMDb.com . Archived from the original on April 25, 2008. Retrieved July 20, 2008.
  231. 1 2 O'Donnell, Jim (February 19, 1995). "Lake Talk" . Chicago Tribune . Newsbank. Retrieved July 20, 2008.
  232. Kornacki, Steve (December 23, 1994). "U-M Escape Taylor Made" . Detroit Free Press . Newsbank. Retrieved June 6, 2009.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Detroit Pistons</span> National Basketball Association team in Detroit, Michigan

The Detroit Pistons are an American professional basketball team based in Detroit. The Pistons compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Central Division of the Eastern Conference. The team plays its home games at Little Caesars Arena, located in Midtown Detroit.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Los Angeles Lakers</span> National Basketball Association team in Los Angeles, California

The Los Angeles Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Lakers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference. The Lakers play their home games at Crypto.com Arena, an arena they share with the Los Angeles Sparks of the Women's National Basketball Association, and the Los Angeles Kings of the National Hockey League. The Lakers are one of the most successful teams in the history of the NBA with 17 championships, the second most in the league behind the Boston Celtics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chris Webber</span> American basketball player (born 1973)

Mayce Edward Christopher Webber III is an American former professional basketball player. Webber played 15 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA), with the largest portion of his career spent with the Sacramento Kings. Drafted number one overall in the 1993 NBA draft, Webber became a 5-time NBA All-Star, a 5-time All-NBA Team member, and the NBA Rookie of the Year. He also played for the Golden State Warriors, Washington Bullets, Philadelphia 76ers, and Detroit Pistons during his NBA career.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Richard Jefferson</span> American basketball player (born 1980)

Richard Allen Jefferson Jr. is an American former professional basketball player who played small forward. He played for eight teams in his 17-season career in the National Basketball Association (NBA).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jalen Rose</span> American basketball player (born 1973)

Jalen Anthony Rose is an American sports analyst and former professional basketball player. In college, he was a member of the University of Michigan Wolverines' "Fab Five" that reached the 1992 and 1993 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship games as both freshmen and sophomores.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lindsey Hunter</span> American basketball player and coach

Lindsey Benson Hunter Jr. is an American former professional basketball player and coach. He played in the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 1993 to 2010, spending most of his career with the Detroit Pistons. He was also the interim head coach of the Phoenix Suns in 2013. Most recently, he served as the head coach at Mississippi Valley State.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Andre Iguodala</span> American basketball player (born 1984)

Andre Tyler Iguodala is an American former professional basketball player who played for 19 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). The swingman was an NBA All-Star in 2012 and was named to the NBA All-Defensive Team twice. Iguodala won four NBA championships with the Golden State Warriors and was named the NBA Finals Most Valuable Player (MVP) in 2015. He was also a member of the U.S. national team at the 2010 FIBA World Championship and 2012 Summer Olympics, winning the gold medal both times.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anthony Roberson</span> American basketball player

Anthony Roberson is an American former professional basketball player. Roberson played college basketball for the University of Florida, and signed with the NBA's Memphis Grizzlies as an undrafted free agent in 2005.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shannon Brown</span> American basketball player (born 1985)

Shannon Brown is an American former professional basketball player. He attended Proviso East High School in Maywood, Illinois, was named Illinois Mr. Basketball in 2003, and played college basketball for Michigan State University. He was drafted by the Cleveland Cavaliers with the 25th overall pick in the 2006 NBA draft.

Arn Herschel Tellem is an American sports executive who is the vice chairman of the Detroit Pistons of the National Basketball Association (NBA). From 1981 to 2015, he was a sports agent best known for his representation of basketball and baseball players. Tellem was vice chairman of the Wasserman Media Group, a global sport and entertainment marketing agency headed by Casey Wasserman. From 2009 to 2010, he wrote a semi-weekly sports column for The Huffington Post. He has also written for Sports Illustrated, the op-ed page of The New York Times, Grantland, Detroit Free Press, The Hollywood Reporter, The Japan Times and The Detroit News.

The 2008–09 Philadelphia 76ers season was the 70th season of the franchise, 60th in the National Basketball Association (NBA). The team finished with a .500 record. Following a 9–14 start, the team fired Maurice Cheeks and replaced him with Director of Player Personnel Tony Dileo on an interim basis. The team went 32–27 after the change and made the postseason.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wesley Johnson (basketball)</span> American basketball player (born 1987)

Wesley JaMarr Johnson is an American professional basketball coach and former player who is a player development assistant for the Los Angeles Clippers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for Syracuse University and Iowa State University. He was selected with the fourth overall pick in the 2010 NBA draft by the Minnesota Timberwolves.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">DeShawn Sims</span> American basketball player

DeShawn Adrian Sims Jr. is an American basketball coach and former professional basketball player. He is the head coach at Pershing High School and last played for Pistoia of the Serie A2 Basket. He has previously played for Sagesse and Champville of the Lebanese Basketball League, as well as teams in Greece, Korea, Israel and Puerto Rico after a career with the Michigan Wolverines men's basketball team. In high school, he became Associated Press Class A Player of the Year, a Jordan Brand All-American and a fourth team Parade All-American. At Michigan he became a second-team All-Big Ten Conference selection. He had signed a free-agent contract with the Boston Celtics for whom he played in the Orlando Summer League in addition to playing for the Dallas Mavericks in the NBA Summer League. He became a 2011 D-League All-Star and NBA Development League Rookie of the Year.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ed Davis (basketball)</span> American basketball player (born 1989)

Edward Adam Davis is an American professional basketball player. Previously, he played 11 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played high school basketball at Benedictine High School in Richmond, Virginia. He is the son of former NBA player Terry Davis. He was selected with the 13th overall pick in the 2010 NBA draft by the Toronto Raptors.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Darius Morris</span> American basketball player (1991–2024)

Darius Aaron Morris was an American professional basketball player. Morris was selected as the 41st pick in the 2011 NBA draft by the Los Angeles Lakers and played the point guard position. He also played for the Brooklyn Nets, Philadelphia 76ers, Los Angeles Clippers and Memphis Grizzlies of the NBA as well as the Los Angeles D-Fenders and Rio Grande Valley Vipers of the NBA D-League. He also played overseas in China, Russia and France.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Moritz Wagner (basketball)</span> German basketball player (born 1997)

Victor Moritz "Mo" Wagner is a German professional basketball player for the Orlando Magic of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played for Alba Berlin before moving to the US to play college basketball for the Michigan Wolverines from 2015 through his junior season for the 2017–18 Wolverines team. Wagner entered his name for the 2017 NBA draft without hiring an agent, but withdrew and returned to Michigan. He was selected with the 25th overall pick in the 2018 NBA draft by the Los Angeles Lakers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2018 NBA draft</span> Basketball player selection

The 2018 NBA Draft was held on June 21, 2018, at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. National Basketball Association (NBA) teams took turns selecting amateur United States college basketball players and other eligible players, including international players. It was televised nationally by ESPN. State Farm was the presenting sponsor of the NBA draft for the seventh consecutive year. This draft was the last to use the original weighted lottery system that gave teams near the bottom of the NBA draft better odds at the top three picks of the draft while teams higher up had worse odds in the process; the rule was agreed upon by the NBA on September 28, 2017, but would not be implemented until the 2019 draft. It was also considered the final year where undrafted college underclassmen were forced to begin their professional careers early; on August 8, 2018, the NCAA announced that players who declared for the NBA draft and were not selected would have the opportunity to return to their school for at least another year. With the last year of what was, at the time, the most recent lottery system, the Phoenix Suns won the first overall pick on May 15, 2018, with the Sacramento Kings at the second overall pick and the Atlanta Hawks at third overall pick. The Suns' selection was their first No. 1 overall selection in franchise history. They used the selection on the Bahamian center Deandre Ayton from the nearby University of Arizona.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Max Christie (basketball)</span> American basketball player (born 2003)

Cormac Karl "Max" Christie Jr. is an American professional basketball player for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Michigan State Spartans of the Big Ten Conference. He was a consensus five-star recruit and one of the top shooting guards in the 2021 class.

Josh Bartelstein is an American basketball executive and former college basketball player who is currently the CEO of the Phoenix Suns of the National Basketball Association (NBA), Phoenix Mercury of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA), and the Footprint Center.