Rob Pelinka was Kobe Bryant's agent throughout most of the late Los Angeles Lakers legend's Hall of Fame career. Now, he currently serves as the Lakers' general manager, being the man responsible for constructing the championship-caliber roster around superstar LeBron James.
By leading the Lakers to their 17th championship this season, The King has undoubtedly made his mark on the franchise that The Black Mamba helped build to what it is today. Having known Bryant for over two decades, and now working with James, Pelinka has had the pleasure of knowing two of the greatest players to ever play the game.
The 50-year old executive appeared on The Woj Podcast, and shared a major similarity between Kobe and LeBron (via Orlando Silva of Fadeaway World):
“The one thing that is so clear about both Kobe and LeBron is that they’re maniacal about the game of basketball,” Pelinka said on The Woj Pod Podcast with ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
“What’s interesting about both LeBron and Kobe is that neither of them were satisfied or had a goal of scoring. Both LeBron and Kobe are about one thing, and that’s winning titles. The similarities in their approach of just being maniacal about doing whatever it takes to win championships is everything to both of those guys.
And despite Bryant's tragic death earlier this year, Pelinka believes he has gotten to know even more about LeBron and Kobe's relationship.
“Maybe they could have had more of a relationship if the tragedy of 1/26 didn’t occur but I’ve almost seen post 1/26, the relationship of Kobe and LeBron, in some sense obviously now more spiritual, being more powerful.”
Bryant and James are two of the most relentless competitors the NBA has ever seen. With the way Pelinka described their approach, it's no secret how crazy they wanted to win at all costs.
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