Who is Rob Pelinka?
Rob Pelinka’s name should have come up at least once in the last decade for basketball fans.
Rob Pelinka is a basketball executive, lawyer, and sports agent from the United States. Furthermore, he was a point guard for the Michigan Wolverines men’s basketball team during his collegiate career.
He is currently the Vice President of Basketball Operations and General Manager of the NBA’s Los Angeles Lakers.
Furthermore, Pelinka has long been the representative of many well-known basketball players. He has represented NBA stars such as Kobe Bryant, Derrick Williams, Dion Waiters, and Kevin Durant.
Furthermore, as a former player, he has extensive knowledge and experience with the game. Notably, he won the Division I Men’s Basketball Championships of the National Collegiate Athletic Association in 1989.
Without ever taking the court, the 1993 NCAA Male Walter Byers Scholar-Athlete of the Year has made a name for himself in the basketball world.
Instead, he works off the field to introduce several talented players to the top flight of the game.
He was previously the CEO of The Landmark Sports Agency, LLC, and anyone interested in sports but wanting to pursue a career off the field can draw a lot of inspiration from him. Let’s read on to find out more about his success story.
Relationship Details, Rob Pelinka is Married?
Rob Pelinka is a husband. In August 2005, he married Kristin Brett Schwarz. On September 22, 1976, the lovely lady was born in California.
Duke University awarded the Corona del Mar High School graduate a Bachelor of Science in biology.
She also holds a medical degree from UCLA’s David Geffen School of Medicine.
Kristin works as a pediatrician for Pacific Ocean Pediatrics and Coastal Kids. As of now, the couple has two children, one daughter, and one son.
Durham is the father, and Emery is the mother. So far, no external affairs have been reported on either of them. So we can assume that the two are having a wonderful marriage.
Quick facts about Rob Pelinka
Full Name | Robert Todd Pelinka, Jr. |
Birth Date | December 23, 1969 |
Birth Place | Chicago, Illinois, United States |
Nickname | Rob Pelinka |
Religion | Christianity |
Nationality | American |
Ethnicity | Black |
Rob Pelinka: Early Life, Age, Wiki, Parents, Ethnicity
Robert Todd Pelinka Sr., Pelinka’s father, was born in Chicago, Illinois. Pelinka Sr. used to be a high school basketball coach.
His father taught him the fundamentals of the game. Later, he enrolled at Lake Forest High School, where he played basketball for the school.
Later, he enrolled at the University of Michigan’s Ross School of Business. There, he majored in Business Administration and graduated with a 3.9/4.0 GPA.
Similarly, he enrolled in the University of Michigan Law School in 1993. Rob graduated first in his class, earning the Juris Doctor cum laude in 1996.
Moreover, during his college years, he worked as an intern at Winston & Strawn LLP.
Education, Schooling, University
There is no information about his education and schooling.
Professional Career, (Vice President of Basketball Operations)
Senior High School
Pelinka began his high school career as a shooting guard. He later moved to the point guard position. His high school’s first conference championship was led by the best shooter in his area.
Rob used to play in pro-am leagues in Chicago with Tim Hardaway, Kevin Duckworth, and Kendall Gill.
Rob later joined the Wisconsin Badgers as a point guard to play in the Big Ten league. Similarly, Rob won the MVP award in a tournament in Elgin in 1987 after scoring 139 points.
He was named one of the top ten Class AA basketball players by Illinois High School Basketball Magazine.
College scouts observed him averaging 30 points and 10 rebounds per game. The Chicago Sun-Times named him one of the top 20 players in the Chicago area.
College Life
His outstanding performance piqued the interest of many universities in the Chicago area. Rob ultimately chose Michigan University in search of a strong law school and business school.
He was a four-year member of the Michigan Wolverines. He won the national championships in 1988-89 with teammates like Mark Huges, Glen Rice, and Terry Milles.
The Wolverines defeated Seton Hall University in the 1989 NCAA Men’s Division I Basketball Tournament. When he was on the team, Steve Fisher was the head coach.
However, the Wolverines lost in the final round of the 1992 NCAA Tournament after Robert redshirted two consecutive seasons. The following season, Pelinka scored 16 points in a 72-62 victory over Ohio State.
In his senior year, Pelinka had the most charges on the team and was a key player. Pelinka also appeared as a substitute in the 81-78 victory over the Kentucky Wildcats in the national semifinals.
He received offers from European basketball teams during his appearance at an NBA Summer Camp in California. However, he had plans other than improving his game on the court.
His interest in an off-court career shifted after meeting Arn Tellem, the vice-chairman of the Detroit Pistons.
Sports Agent Rob Pelinka
Pelinka currently represents 24 NBA draft picks. After receiving his law license, he joined Mayer Brown. He became an agent four years later, thanks to Tellem’s influence.
According to sources, NBA agents earn about 4% of the salary and bonus that their clients can negotiate. Notably, he had established his Landmark Sports Agency.
Agent for Kobe Bryant
The majority of Pelinka’s NBA recognition has come from his representation of late star Kobe Bryant.
Pelinka had gained Kobe’s trust by consolidating and supporting him during Bryant’s sexual assault case in 2003.
Pelinka negotiated Kobe’s seven-year, $136.4 million contract with the Los Angeles Lakers in 2004.
Rob was the godfather of Kobe Bryant’s daughter, Gianna Bryant. Later, Rob arranged for Kobe’s three-year contract extension from 2009-10 until the 2013-14 season.
Similarly, Pelinka extended the contract for another two years in 2013 with a $48.5 million deal.
Agent Sasha Vujacic
In July 2008, Pelinka became the agent for Slovenian-American NBA player Sasha Vujacic. Sasha had left his former agent Bill Duffy and became a free agent.
Rob arranged for Sasha to return to the Los Angeles Lakers on a three-year, $15 million contract.
Similarly, in 2011, Vujacic signed a one-year contract with Anadolu Efes to play in the Turkish Basketball League.
Pelinka was acquainted with Corey Maggette, who played in the Chicago area. As a result, he represented Corey during his $50 million contract with the Golden State Warriors.
Corey was required to play for the Warriors for the next five years, beginning in July 2008.
In the same year, 2008, Rob facilitated the signing of Keyon Dooling to an undisclosed contract with the New Jersey Nets.
Keyon previously played for the Orlando Magic. Keyon was also given a salary cap of $7.2 million as part of the deal. However, at the end of the 2011-12 NBA season, no team had signed Dooling.
The agent for Derrick Williams and Andre Iguodala
Derrick Williams was the NBA draft’s second overall pick in 2011. Rob was Williams’ agent when he signed with the Minnesota Timberwolves in December of 2011.
Williams signed with the New York Knicks in July 2015.
Andre Iguodala was an Illinois high school star who had known Rob because of his fame there. Iguodala signed with the Philadelphia 76ers in August 2008, entrusting Rob as his agent.
Rob could sign a six-year, $80 million contract extension with the 76ers after turning down $3.8 million per year and $57 million contract extensions.
Eric Gordon and Derek Fisher are represented by
In the 2008 NBA draft, Eric Gordon was selected seventh overall. Gordon signed a three-year, $8.4 million contract with the Los Angeles Clippers in July 2008, while being represented by Pelinka. However, due to an injury, he was forced to withdraw from the NBA Summer League.
In 2012, Rob agreed to a four-year, $58 million contract with Gordon’s New Orleans Hornets.
Derek Fisher was about to become a free agent in 2010. Pelinka eventually agreed to a three-year, $10.5 million contract extension with the Lakers.
In 2014, Pelinka had another assignment for unsigned Fisher.
With no offers and no plans to continue playing, Derek decided to pursue a career as a coach. As a result, Pelinka agreed to terms with the New York Knicks on a five-year, $25 million contract.
NBA Executive Rob Pelinka
Back in February 2017, several rumors circulated in the sports media that the Los Angeles Lakers were about to hire Rob Pelinka as general manager.
Mitch Kupchak, who had previously held the position, had been fired. As a result, the news became official, and Pelinka was assigned the position in March 2017.
Pelinka signed a five-year contract with the Lakers. Magic Johnson, the club’s vice president of basketball operations, was his colleague. Johnson stated that Pelinka was interested in the club’s presidency at the time.
Rob Pelinka: Honors
Rob Pelinka had a decent playing career in high school and college. He was named to the High School All-American team. In addition, he was named NCAA Male Scholar-Athlete of the Year in 1993.
As a result, he was awarded the Walter Byers Postgraduate Scholarship for the year. Similarly, he is regarded as one of the greatest sports agents in his career.
In 2010, Business Insider ranked him fifth among the best active sports agents.
Net Worth, Salary, Assets
Rob Pelinka has represented many NBA stars. Agents typically earn 4% of the salary and deal money of the players they arrange.
As a result, Pelinka is likely to have amassed a sizable fortune during his career.
Rob Pelinka has a net worth of $25 million as of 2022.
He is currently the General Manager of the Los Angeles Lakers, one of the top teams in the NBA. As a result, he only makes around $5 million per year as a salary there.
As a result, he can be expected to greatly increase his fortunes in the coming years.
Rumors and Controversy
Talking about his rumors and controversy, he has not been in any part of rumors as well as controversy to date.
What is the Height of Rob Pelinka? Weight, Full Body Status
Age | 52 Years Old |
Height | 6 feet 6 inches (198 cm) |
Weight | 91 kg (200 lbs) |
Shoe Size | 16 |
Build | Slim |
Favorite Food | Lasagna |
Eye color | Dark Brown |
Hair Color | Black |
Profession | Vice President of Basketball Operations General Manager Sports Agent (former) |
Social Media Accounts
Twitter hashtag (#robpelinka)
Instagram hashtag (#robpelinka)
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