Rob Pelinka is the Los Angeles Lakers’ general manager and a former guard at the University of Michigan who played with Chris Webber and the rest of the Fab Five. Pelinka has become a successful yet controversial figure among Lakers fans as he works to bring the franchise its first championship since the ‘Bubble’ days in Florida.
Pelinka surprised many when he revealed his “real” reason for selecting Bronny James, the son of LeBron James, during the 2024 NBA Draft.
The explanation came during a time when Pelinka felt “shocked” about one aspect of the Dalton Knecht selection. New Lakers hire JJ Redick broke the silence after being hired by the team.
Will NBA and Lakers fans buy the Pelinka explanation? Time will tell, but it’s surprising in myriad ways.
Pelinka Waxes Poetic On Bronny James’ Intangibles
© Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports
Pelinka waxed poetic on various Bronny James characteristics at a Lakers press conference.
“Next season, NBA history could be made, and NBA history should be made in a Lakers uniform,” Pelinka said about the prospect of Bronny playing with his famous father on the court next season.
“Bronny is first and foremost a person of high character, and second he is a young man who works extremely hard, and those are the qualities we look for in drafting players and adding to our developmental core with the Lakers,” Pelinka said, adding that the Lakers received an elusive workout with the enigmatic second round draft pick out of USC basketball.
James averaged 4.8 points with USC basketball last season suggesting he still has a long way to go to become a championship caliber NBA asset.
Lakers’ Draft Includes Tennessee Shooter
James will enter the fray alongside Dalton Knecht, the Tennessee guard/forward who was taken with the 17th pick overall.
Knecht averaged nearly 22 points and nearly five rebounds for the Volunteers while shooting over 45 percent from the field and nearly 40 percent from three-point range. Both Knecht and Bronny James, when healthy, have the ability to stroke the three ball with impunity which should help space the floor for LeBron James, Anthony Davis and Austin Reaves next season.
It’s debatable whether Bronny James will see the floor for anything resembling extended minutes next season but the Lakers’ newest guard prospect is almost certain to have plenty of opportunities to make his NBA dream come true.
Practicing with his famous father should only sweeten the pot as Bronny James, Rob Pelinka, LeBron James and the rest of the Lakers prepare to make history next season with the father-son duo taking the court together. The hope is that the Lakers make history beyond that expected moment, in the form of an NBA record tying 18th championship as well.
