Jeanie Buss Praises Rob Pelinka For His Willingness To Help In Any Way In NBA Bubble
No job is too small for Lakers' general manager Rob Pelinka inside the NBA bubble near Orlando, including rebounding and wiping up sweat. The same can be said for LeBron James.
In a story in The Orange Country Register, Kyle Goon reported that Pelinka has done all sorts of jobs, James has loaded bags into elevators and everyone in the organization is working many duties that were never in their job description during the resumed NBA season at Walt Disney World near Orlando. It comes with the territory of playing during a global pandemic.
Lakers governor and CEO Jeanie Buss has taken notice. She retweeted an excerpt from the article and wrote: “ 💜💛 💜 Truth 💜💛💜.”
Traveling parties for the 22-team restart were limited to 35 people because of COVID-19 protocols. Because many coaches and staffers weren't able to come to the NBA bubble, they are working double-duty to make up for being shorthanded.
“There’s no task that’s too low that we can’t come in and help, especially when it comes to our players and their safety and servicing their needs,” Pelinka told The Orange County Register.
Lakers head athletic trainer Nina Hsieh told the paper about a postgame assist from James. The Lakers had returned to their hotel tower, the Gran Destino, after a thrilling win over the Clippers on July 30 when James saw support staff loading bags onto an elevator. Rather than head directly to his room, James helped load the bags.
“I mean he played, so he’s tired and he’s hungry,” Hsieh said. “And he’s still helping us. That’s kind of what it’s been like. That’s what everybody has done.”
Staffers are also working under different time constraints than they typically do with limited practice times and tight game setups, giving them less time to prepare before players arrive.
The article stated Miami’s Jimmy Butler stocked refrigerators with beer for staffers as a small token of appreciation.
And Alex Caruso added that their work had not gone unnoticed.
“I always appreciate the things they do, because they don’t get any accolades or get any support from fans and stuff like that,” Caruso said. “The only recognition they get is from us on the team ... They’re trying, man. Their jobs are already hard enough.”
