Over the last couple of years, Los Angeles Lakers executive Rob Pelinka has gotten criticism after the team went from NBA champions in 2020 to a non-playoff team last year.
He was publicly scorched by fans and pundits alike for the acquisition of Russell Westbrook, letting Alex Caruso walk in free agency, poor free agent signings in the summer of 2021 and not trading Westbrook for what would’ve been some unsatisfying returns.
But Pelinka stood tough, and in February he finally struck gold by turning Westbrook and limited draft capital into D’Angelo Russell, Jarred Vanderbilt and Malik Beasley. Along with the trade for Rui Hachimura a few weeks prior, the Westbrook deal turned everything around for the Lakers, and now they could be a championship contender in the making.
Although Pelinka has suddenly gotten lots of praise for remaking the team’s makeup, he hasn’t been able to escape a persistent rumor — the rumor that he is really actor Rob Lowe. Some pointed to the fact that Pelinka and Lowe had never been seen in the same room together.
Yet, on Tuesday in Game 1 of the Western Conference semifinals between the Lakers and Golden State Warriors, the two were both in attendance at Chase Center in San Francisco, Calif. to watch the Lakers emerge victorious, 117-112.
Perhaps now fans can focus on Pelinka’s job with the Lakers and not his supposed resemblance to the star of “The West Wing.”
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