Rob Pelinka, a renowned figure in the basketball world, boasts a net worth of approximately $25 million.
Pelinka’s impressive financial standing is a testament to his multifaceted career, transitioning from a prominent sports agent to his current role as the General Manager of the Los Angeles Lakers.
His tenure as an agent saw him representing high-profile NBA players, including the legendary Kobe Bryant, which significantly contributed to his wealth.
Today, Pelinka continues to make a substantial impact in the sports industry, leveraging his extensive experience and business acumen to lead one of the NBA’s most storied franchises.
Rob Pelinka Net Worth
Rob Pelinka, an American team executive, lawyer, and sports agent, has a net worth of $25 million.
Born in Chicago, Illinois, in December 1969, Pelinka is the General Manager of the Los Angeles Lakers.
He earned his J.D. from the University of Michigan Law School and his B.B.A. from the Ross School of Business.
As an agent, Pelinka represented NBA stars like Kobe Bryant and served as the president and CEO of The Landmark Sports Agency, LLC.
He also represented players such as Derrick Williams, Dion Waiters, Andre Drummond, Kevin Durant, and Carlos Boozer.
Pelinka played basketball at Lake Forest High School and was part of the Fab Five teams.
He was named the 1993 NCAA Male Walter Byers Scholar Athlete of the Year.
At Michigan, he reached three NCAA Men’s Division I Basketball Championship games and won the 1989 NCAA Tournament Championship.
Currently, Rob Pelinka has a 4-year contract worth $20 million.
Early life
Robert Todd Pelinka Sr., a former high school basketball coach, taught his son Rob Pelinka the fundamentals of basketball.
High school career
Rob Pelinka became a high school All-American basketball player at Lake Forest High School.
Regarded as one of the best shooters in the Chicago area, he led Lake Forest to their first conference championship as an all-conference guard.
However, the team lost in the first round of postseason play in 1987.
Pelinka also played in the Chicago pro-amateur leagues, competing against local stars like Mark Aguirre, Tim Hardaway, Kevin Duckworth, and Kendall Gill.
By his senior season, Pelinka grew to 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) and moved to point guard after his teammate graduated.
The Chicago Sun-Times named him one of the top 50 high school basketball players in the Chicago area.
Although not initially a national top 500 pick, Pelinka proved his talent in the December 1987 Elgin tournament.
He made all 41 of his free throws and set a tournament record with 139 points, including 45 in one game.
After his standout tournament performance, colleges like Illinois, Michigan, Notre Dame, and North Carolina showed interest in him.
Pelinka averaged 30 points and 10 rebounds per game by February of his senior year.
He was named to the post-season All-Chicago area top 20 players and the Class AA All-state team.
Pelinka chose to attend Michigan for its strong law and business schools.
He continued to excel, having notable performances in regional all-star games.
In 2009, Matt Vogrich broke Pelinka’s Lake Forest High School scoring record and followed in his footsteps by joining the Michigan Wolverines basketball team.
Executive career
On February 21, 2017, the Los Angeles Lakers decided to hire Rob Pelinka as their new general manager.
This move was part of a management shakeup that also saw Magic Johnson take over as executive vice president of basketball operations, replacing Jim Buss.
They also dismissed former GM Mitch Kupchak.
Pelinka signed a five-year deal to become the Lakers’ general manager on March 7, 2017.
However, on May 20, 2019, Magic Johnson resigned and later claimed in an ESPN interview that Pelinka had “backstabbed” him, seeking Johnson’s position.
Pelinka faced criticism for his tendency to embellish or misrepresent the truth. In March 2018, he told a story during a “Genius Talks” series where he claimed that his former client Kobe Bryant had dinner with Heath Ledger after watching “The Dark Knight.”
Pelinka said that Bryant wanted to learn how Ledger focused on his role as the Joker.
However, “The Dark Knight” was released six months after Ledger’s death, and a source denied that such a dinner ever happened.
A Lakers coaching staff member in 2019 commented, “We think, more often than not, he’s not being truthful.
That goes throughout the organization.”
On January 10, 2020, Pelinka was promoted to vice president of basketball operations while keeping his role as GM.
In 2020, he finished seventh in the Executive of the Year Award voting.
College statistics
The following are Pelinka’s career statistics at the University of Michigan:
| Season | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3FG% | FT% | RPG | APG | STL | BLK | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1988–89 | 24 | 1 | 4.5 | .360 | .286 | 0.7 | 0.6 | 0.4 | 3 | 2 | 1.2 |
| 1990–91 | 29 | 1 | 8 | .288 | .290 | 0.583 | 1.1 | 0.4 | 5 | 0 | 1.7 |
| 1991–92 | 28 | 0 | 9.1 | .404 | .320 | 0.871 | 1.6 | 0.7 | 3 | 0 | 2.8 |
| 1992–93 | 36 | 4 | 15.9 | .417 | .400 | 0.762 | 2.1 | 1 | 6 | 1 | 4.3 |
| Total | 117 | 6 | 10 | .379 | .346 | 0.768 | 1.4 | 0.6 | 17 | 3 | 2.7 |
Personal life
Rob Pelinka entered the Bachelor of Business Administration program at the University of Michigan’s Ross School of Business, where he achieved a 3.9 GPA.
During his time at Michigan, he developed a close relationship with tax law professor Doug Kahn and his wife.
In January 1993, Pelinka announced his acceptance to both the University of Michigan Law School and Northwestern University School of Law.
He expressed his ambition to become a professional sports agent after completing his athletic and academic careers.
After Michigan won the 1993 NCAA West Regional Final, Pelinka, one of six finalists, flew to St. Louis, Missouri, for a final interview for the Walter Byers Scholarship.
Later that week, he received the 1993 Walter Byers Scholar Award as the NCAA’s top male scholar-athlete.
Pelinka also earned several other scholar-athlete awards.
Instead of playing basketball in Europe, Pelinka chose to attend Michigan Law School after graduation and became a top law student.
During his first year of law school, several of his former teammates appeared in the movie Blue Chips.
While in law school, he took several classes from Kahn.
In his second year, he became the home game color analyst for Wolverines basketball, working with play-by-play announcer Chuck Swirsky on a 16-station broadcast network originating from WJR-AM.
He debuted on December 22, 1994, during a game against Jackson State University.
While in law school, he interned for Winston & Strawn LLP. Pelinka earned his Juris Doctor cum laude in 1996.