Rob Pelinka

However, his MVP performance in a four-game tournament, where he made all 42 of his free throws, and his impressive season statistics enabled him to become a highly recruited athlete by the end of his senior year.

[18] Furthermore, scouts such as Chicago-based David Kaplan, who questioned his true height and dribbling ability, doubted whether he was talented enough to play for either of his targeted colleges (Michigan and Notre Dame) even in late December of his senior year despite his having had multiple 30-point efforts already.

[35][36][37][38][39] He earned a coveted spot in the Schlitz League, teaming up with Maurice Cheeks for Luster Premium Hair Products.

[48] In February, Matt Vogrich broke Pelinka's Lake Forest High School scoring record.

As a true freshman member of the 1988–89 National Champions, his teammates included Glen Rice, Terry Mills, Loy Vaught, Rumeal Robinson, Sean Higgins, Demetrius Calip, and Mark Hughes.

[54] As a redshirt member of the 1991–92 and 1992–93 national runners-up, his teammates included Chris Webber, Juwan Howard, Jalen Rose, Jimmy King, Ray Jackson (the Fab Five), and Eric Riley.

[8] During Pelinka's freshman season, Michigan was picked by many to win the Big Ten Conference and was ranked number one in the nation, according to some preseason polls.

This game followed the team's first loss of the season, which had come against Division II Alaska–Anchorage, after an 11–0 start and after which coach Bill Frieder benched three starters.

[61] As the team entered the March stretch run, Pelinka and Calip were the only reserve guards backing up Robinson and Higgins.

[57][62] The team went on to win the 1989 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament against Seton Hall at the Kingdome in Seattle, Washington.

[67][68] Pelinka was also instrumental in setting up some key shots such as a pass to Calip during a frenetic sequence to tie Minnesota in the waning minutes of the game.

[78] Pelinka also contributed his season-high nineteen minutes and a second-half career-high eleven points (eclipsed in his senior season) in a March 11, 1992 70–61 victory against Purdue at the Mackey Arena.

[79][80] Michigan head coach Steve Fisher credited both of these wins to Pelinka and also noted his two important three-point shots against East Tennessee State.

[100] When the team returned to Ann Arbor, Michigan for a rally at Crisler Arena the following day, Pelinka was one of only two Wolverines to speak to the crowd.

[3] After passing the Illinois bar examination and receiving his license to practice in 1996,[2] Pelinka joined Mayer Brown.

[9] While with SFX, he worked with Tellem who represented Eddy Curry, Kwame Brown, Kobe Bryant and Tracy McGrady, all of whom went directly from high school to the National Basketball Association.

[143] However, rookie first round draft picks are on a strict two-year pay scale with team options for the third and fourth year, according to the collective bargaining agreement.

[115] Prior to the June 30 decision deadline, Bryant elected not to opt out of his contract and was expected to sign a new three-year extension.

Waiters signed a $16.7 million four-year contract (two years, plus two team options) that was based on the rookie wage scales determined by the collective bargaining agreement.

[192] Iguodala declined a one-year $16 million contract from the Denver Nuggets and met with a half dozen teams when the free agency period opened.

[198] Trevor Ariza switched agents to sign with Pelinka one year before his contract with the Washington Wizards was due to expire.

[199] On November 25, Bryant signed a two-year contract extension with the Lakers at an estimated value of $48.5 million that made him the first NBA player to play 20 years with the same franchise.

[200] He remained the league's highest-paid player, despite accepting the discounted deal; he had been eligible to receive an extension starting at $32 million per year.

[213] He represented Tyus Jones at the June 25, 2015 NBA draft, where he was selected 24th by the Cleveland Cavaliers, who then traded him to his hometown Minnesota Timberwolves.

[214] In January 2016, Avery Bradley left Mitchell Butler to sign with Pelinka after being disappointed with the results of a contract extension.

[158] On February 21, 2017, media sources reported that the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA) were set to hire Pelinka to serve as general manager as part of a management shakeup that included the hiring of Magic Johnson as executive vice president of basketball operations in place of Jim Buss and dismissing former GM Mitch Kupchak.

[219] Pelinka has been criticized for his penchant for "storytelling", in other words embellishing or even totally misrepresenting the truth at times throughout his tenure with the Lakers.

According to sources, in March 2018, as Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson addressed the players on the roster as part of a "Genius Talks" series, Pelinka told a story about his former client Kobe Bryant.

"[220] However, the Dark Knight film was released 6 months after Ledger's death, and a source close to the situation denied that such a dinner had ever taken place.

During his first year of law school, several of his former teammates appeared in Blue Chips: Billy Douglass (Lake Forest), Eric Anderson (Chicago All-star), and Demitrius Calip (Michigan).