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EL SEGUNDO, Calif. – Kobe Bryant’s Lakers jerseys will be hung in their rightful place in the Staples Center rafters on Monday night, and the sense of symbolism will be inevitably strong.
After five titles while wearing Nos. 8 and 24 and now 20 months into retirement, it's the formal end of his era. But as Rob Pelinka knows as well as anyone, Bryant’s presence still permeates the organization as the Lakers attempt their return to glory.
Pelinka, the sports agent-turned-Lakers-general-manager who first signed Bryant as a client in 1998 and was there for all the memorable ups and downs of his 20-year career, discussed that and much more in a recent sitdown interview with USA TODAY Sports. Part of that discussion detailed the "Genius Talks" he's implemented with the Lakers in trying to inspire his young players.
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The following is part one of an extended interview with Pelinka, which focuses on his transition as an agent to Lakers GM and his current relationship with Bryant. It has been edited for space. Part two will examine Pelinka's perspective on navigating LaVar Ball.
Q: So it’s been a minute since the shakeup in Laker Land. And now you have your process – day after day after day - trying to make an impact. Reflections at this point for you?
A: “You know I think going into it, the big word that was always in my head was service and support. Those were the hallmarks….That emanates into all things: How do we serve and support our 15 players? How do we serve and support the media community that tells the stories? How do we serve and support agents who represent players? And how do we serve and support players' families? So that became the thing for me that was the call, and I've loved it.”
Q: The agent life was good for you. You had an incredible list of clients, and you walked away from a lot to take this job. How much hesitation, if any, was there to leave that behind and dive into a completely different challenge?
A: “You know, it's interesting, I try to have an open-handed philosophy to life, in terms of what comes in your life and what goes out. Because I'm a person of faith, I believe that things happen in life and there's a guiding force above just my individual decision making. And so it became a very natural thing for me, because I'm not gripping onto anything, like, 'Oh, I have to be an agent for the rest of my life. Or I have to be a school teacher for the rest of my life.' I more say, 'Hey, I know that there's going to be a story to my life, but it's going to kind of unfold on its own if I just pursue excellence in whatever I do.' This opportunity came so naturally, without me chasing it, that I just knew it was what I was supposed to do next with my life. There was no question, there were no hesitations.”
Q: When you make that transition, which guys have before like Bob Myers (of the Golden State Warriors), that means you're now engaging with agents who you used to compete with. How has that dynamic been?
A: “I remember I was having dinner with Kobe one time, and we were just reminiscing, and he said something so profound to me, I said, 'If you could go back and do the 20 years over, is there any ingredient or lens you'd look at differently?' He said, 'Nah, the one thing is maybe a little bit more empathy.' And that's really stuck with me, because I think it's a powerful point. The line that I've gotten from agents who I used to be competing against, and it happens again and again...is ‘Hey, it's great to talk to someone who can empathize with our situation,' like a player calling, saying 'Why aren't I getting minutes?' Or 'Hey, I'd like to be traded.' When an agent calls me and we talk about it, I've been in their shoes. It's the definition of empathy, so I can understand what they need in the moment, and I think it helps us as an organization, for the Lakers to kind of deliver the need because we've walked in those shoes. I've been really grateful for the strength of the relationships I feel like we're forging with the agent community, because we can understand them.”
Q: When you saw some of the times that the previous regime wasn’t able to land big-name guys in the past, and they were fairly accused of thinking that this city was a destination and that was enough, did you learn anything through some of those shortcoming from afar?
A: “I've said before that I feel like the seat of a general manager is not a seat of judgment. It's a seat of responsibility, and I feel really strongly about that. I have a responsibility to do the best job I can, not judge the past or judge what others have done. But what I can say is this, Sam: I've had the opportunity to really have an inside look at, really, all 30 NBA organizations, because over my two decades as an agent, I had clients on virtually every team. So I really got to see, 'What is this team really good at?' 'Hey, what is this team not so good at in terms of managing agent/player relationships?'
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“So I've been able to kind of pick and choose the best things, and that's what we're trying to formulate here is the best of all things. It's a work in progress, and I think getting to a place of Laker excellence is a road you're going to be constantly traveling down. But we're committed to it, and I think that people from the outside can feel that and see it. But again, I'd let others make that judgment. It wouldn't be something I would judge myself on.”
Q: You’ve mentioned Kobe a couple times. I haven't seen him for a minute, and I wonder, is he popping in every so often, do you ever see him? What is his actual influence?
A: “We'll see him soon (laughs). He's one of my best friends, and he's like family, so I talk to Kobe all the time.”
Q: When you first came on board, I thought he might join you in some formal capacity. Is it more of an unofficial thing in terms of his voice?
A: “When you know someone and work with someone for 18 years, and you're as close (as we are), they affect your every day. So Kobe's mentality, and just who he is and his friendship, it'd be like asking you about one of your best friends (and how they impact you). That person influences you all the time. And what his story will be in the future, that's up to him. I mean he's a person of ultimate, endless curiosity in everything, and so his road could take many shapes.”
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