Rob Pelinka Finally Breaks Silence on New Role With Lakers

Longtime Los Angeles Lakers general manager and team vice president of basketball operations Rob Pelinka received some good news during L.A.'s ongoing first round playoff series against the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Pelinka received a multi-year contract extension and a new title. He's now the team president of basketball operations, as well as the club's GM.

During a conversation with James Worthy and Chris "Geeter" McGee of Spectrum SportsNet, Pelinka reacted to his new title.

"I wanna see our guys come out and punch first… I wanna see our players defensively really get after the Timberwolves and make them feel us."

Rob Pelinka sits down with @geeter3 and @JamesWorthy42 and gives his thoughts ahead of tonight's Game 2 matchup. #LakeShow pic.twitter.com/9Cv9i9zRbb
— Spectrum SportsNet (@SpectrumSN) April 23, 2025

“It’s all about the work. That’s what we’re paid to do and Jeanie Buss is the greatest governor in the game and to be able to work with her every day and work for our fans, that’s what we’re about,” Pelinka said.

Pelinka's humility belies his (mostly) adept front office maneuvering. He has enjoyed a front office role since 2017, but was promoted to the head gig following Magic Johnson's abrupt departure in April 2019. Since then, he has pulled off a pair of massive trades: the deal for Anthony Davis that led to a title in 2020, and the trade of Davis for younger superstar Luka Doncic this past February.

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When asked about the Lakers' poor Game 1 performance against the visiting Timberwolves, a 117-95 loss on Saturday, Pelinka called out two L.A. reserve players he wanted to see step up.

"I think if you watch the games, especially in the other series that are going on — night in, night out — the team that brings the most physicality and aggressiveness seems to win," Pelinka observed. "I think Dorian Finney-Smith, Gabe Vincent, those guys are going to be key. The games we've won and played really well, they've made big corner three's, spaced the floor, really gotten after it defensively, and we're going to need those guys to step up. To win a series, you've got to be seven, eight deep, and that's what we're going to need."

The Lakers bounced back with a resilient 94-85 Game 2 win at home. Doncic notched his second-consecutive 30+ point game, scoring 31 points, grabbing 12 boards, and dishing out nine dimes.

This time, however, 20-time All-NBA combo forward LeBron James also recorded a near-triple-double of his own, scoring 21 points, pulling down 11 rebounds, and passing for seven assists.

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Austin Reaves chipped in 16 points, five rebounds and five dishes, while Rui Hachimura contributed 11 points, five rebounds and a pair of steals. Starting center Jaxson Hayes was further relegated to a reserve role.

Final Stats 📊

Luka: 31 pts, 12 reb, 9 ast,
Bron: 21 pts, 11 reb, 7 ast
AR: 16 pts, 5 reb, 5 ast
Rui: 11 pts, 5 reb, 2 stl pic.twitter.com/jRQc66Ase5
— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) April 23, 2025

Still, there's no question that Los Angeles has struggled on offense in this series. The team has yet to score over 100 points in either contest.

Game 3 tips off on Friday in Minnesota.

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