Once Magic Johnson resigned from his position as the Los Angeles Lakers President of Basketball Operation in April, most people figured that General Manager Rob Pelinka would soon be out of a job as well.
In fact, it was a big surprise that Pelinka had even been hired in the first place. After owner Jeanie Buss appointed Magic, her close friend and a former Lakers star, in early 2017, it was generally assumed that she’d then add an experienced NBA person to the staff to balance out Johnson, who had never served in a team’s front office.