New Lakers GM Rob Pelinka already a success as a Rob Lowe impersonator
The Lakers confirmed Tuesday what had been widely reported for a couple of weeks, formally naming Rob Pelinka as their general manager. He will work with Magic Johnson, who was recently appointed the team’s head of basketball operations, as they take over from Mitch Kupchak and Jim Buss, respectively, and attempt to restore the struggling team to glory.
Pelinka had been a high-powered agent who represented Kobe Bryant and James Harden, among others, and the Lakers had to wait until he untangled himself from that business, so as to comply with NBA conflict-of-interest rules. With Pelinka officially aboard, Johnson praised as “invaluable” his “knowledge of the NBA landscape,” and the team’s controlling owner, Jeanie Buss, said he helped put the organization in “a great position to bring winning basketball back to the Lakers.”
One thing is certain: Pelinka is already a smashing success … at reminding people of Rob Lowe. The 47-year-old, who played with the “Fab Five” at Michigan, earned comparisons by many online observers Tuesday to the 52-year-old actor famed for his fabulously good looks.
https://twitter.com/Hall09Hasson/status/839276143811379200
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Others took the opportunity to reference Lowe’s DirecTV ads, in which the actor’s evocation of Hollywood glamour is juxtaposed with less successful versions of himself.
Pelinka is expected to handle the details of contracts and manage the Lakers’ salary-cap situation, while Johnson sets the team’s broader agenda and has final say on players. “With Jeanie and Magic guiding the vision, I am thrilled to help architect the future,” Pelinka said. “I am really excited to get to work.”
And, hey, if the GM thing doesn’t pan out, Pelinka could always find work as a Rob Lowe stunt double.
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