Rob Pelinka
Encyclopedia
Robert Todd Pelinka, Jr. (born December 23, 1969) is an American lawyer
Lawyer
A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...

, National Basketball Association
National Basketball Association
The National Basketball Association is the pre-eminent men's professional basketball league in North America. It consists of thirty franchised member clubs, of which twenty-nine are located in the United States and one in Canada...

 (NBA) sports agent
Sports agent
A sports agent procures and negotiates employment and endorsement contracts for an athlete.In return, the sports agent generally receives between 4 and 10% of the athlete's playing contract, and 10 to 20% of the athlete's endorsement contract, though these figures vary...

 and former college basketball
College basketball
College basketball most often refers to the USA basketball competitive governance structure established by the National Collegiate Athletic Association . Basketball in the NCAA is divided into three divisions: Division I, Division II and Division III....

 player from Lake Bluff, Illinois
Lake Bluff, Illinois
Lake Bluff is a village in Lake County, Illinois. It is the closest moderate-sized town near the Great Lakes Navy Base and is North of Lake Forest. The population is 6,056 according to the 2000 census. The town has a police department and volunteer fire department.-History:In 1836, John and...

 (suburban Chicago). He is best known as Kobe Bryant
Kobe Bryant
Kobe Bean Bryant is an American professional basketball player who plays shooting guard for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association . Bryant enjoyed a successful high school basketball career at Lower Merion High School, where he was recognized as the top high school...

's agent and President and CEO of The Landmark Sports Agency, LLC. Pelinka has represented nine NBA Draft Lottery
NBA Draft Lottery
The NBA Draft Lottery is an annual event held by the National Basketball Association in which the teams who had missed the playoffs in the previous season, or teams who hold the draft rights of another team that missed the playoffs in the previous season, participate in a lottery process to...

 picks since the 2003 NBA draft
2003 NBA Draft
The 2003 NBA Draft was held on June 26, 2003 at The Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York. In this draft, National Basketball Association teams took turns selecting basketball players and other first-time eligible players, such as players from high schools and...

, including two at the 2010 NBA Draft
2010 NBA Draft
The 2010 NBA Draft was held on June 24, 2010 at the Theatre at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York. The draft, which started at 7:00 pm Eastern Daylight Time , was broadcast in the United States on ESPN. In this draft, National Basketball Association teams took turns selecting amateur...

 and 2nd overall 2011 NBA Draft
2011 NBA Draft
The 2011 NBA Draft was held on June 23, 2011 at Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. The draft started at 7:00 pm Eastern Daylight Time , and was broadcast in the United States on ESPN. In this draft, National Basketball Association teams took turns selecting amateur U.S. college basketball...

 selection Derrick Williams
Derrick Williams (basketball)
Derrick LeRon Williams , nicknamed D-Will, is an American professional basketball player for the Minnesota Timberwolves. He was considered one of the top prospects for the 2011 NBA Draft and was selected as the second overall pick by the Minnesota Timberwolves...

. Pelinka has also been NBA All-Star Carlos Boozer
Carlos Boozer
Carlos Austin Boozer, Jr. is an American professional basketball player with the Chicago Bulls of the National Basketball Association...

's agent, a role that has been controversial.

Pelinka played basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...

 for Lake Forest High School, earning All-American honors. As a junior, he led Lake Forest High School
Lake Forest High School (Illinois)
Lake Forest High School, or LFHS, is a public four-year high school located in Lake Forest, Illinois, a North Shore suburb of Chicago, Illinois, in the United States. It is the only school of Lake Forest Community High School District 115, which serves the communities of Lake Forest, Lake Bluff,...

 to its first conference championship. Entering his senior season, Pelinka was overlooked by many Division I scouts and recruiter
Recruiter
A recruiter is someone engaging in recruitment, or the solicitation of individuals to fill jobs or positions within a corporation, nonprofit organization, sports team, the military, etc. Recruiters may work within an organization's human resources department or on an outsourced basis...

s. However, his MVP performance in a four-game tournament, where he made all 42 of his free throw
Free throw
In basketball, free throws or foul shots are unopposed attempts to score points from a restricted area on the court , and are generally awarded after a foul on the shooter by the opposing team...

s, and his impressive season statistics enabled him to become a highly recruited athlete by the end of his senior year. He was selected to several regional all-star lists and to play on several regional all-star teams as a senior.

He attended the University of Michigan
University of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...

, where he has the distinction of being the only person in school history to have been a member of three National Collegiate Athletic Association
National Collegiate Athletic Association
The National Collegiate Athletic Association is a semi-voluntary association of 1,281 institutions, conferences, organizations and individuals that organizes the athletic programs of many colleges and universities in the United States...

 (NCAA) Final Four
Final four
Final Four isa sports term that is commonly applied to the last four teams remaining in a playoff tournament, most notably NCAA Division I college basketball tournaments. The term usually refers to the four teams who compete in the two games of a single-elimination tournament's semi-final round...

 teams: the 1988–89 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Champion
1989 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament
The 1989 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament involved 64 schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball. It began on March 16, 1989, and ended with the championship game on April 3 in Seattle, Washington...

 Wolverines basketball team
Michigan Wolverines men's basketball
The Michigan Wolverines men's basketball team is the intercollegiate men's basketball program representing the University of Michigan. The school competes in the Big Ten Conference in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association . The Wolverines play home basketball games at the...

 as well as both the 1991–92
1992 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament
The 1992 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament involved 64 schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball. It began on March 19, 1992, and ended with the championship game on April 6 in Minneapolis, Minnesota...

 and the 1992–93
1993 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament
The 1993 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament involved 64 schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball. It began on March 18, 1993, and ended with the championship game on April 5 in New Orleans, Louisiana...

 national championship runners-up, which were best remembered as the Fab Five
Fab Five (University of Michigan)
The Fab Five was the nickname for a 1991 University of Michigan men's basketball team recruitment class that is considered by some to be "the greatest class ever recruited." The class consisted of Detroit natives Chris Webber and Jalen Rose, Chicago native Juwan Howard, and Texas high school...

 teams. Pelinka holds a Juris Doctor
Juris Doctor
Juris Doctor is a professional doctorate and first professional graduate degree in law.The degree was first awarded by Harvard University in the United States in the late 19th century and was created as a modern version of the old European doctor of law degree Juris Doctor (see etymology and...

 cum laude from the University of Michigan Law School
University of Michigan Law School
The University of Michigan Law School is the law school of the University of Michigan, in Ann Arbor. Founded in 1859, the school has an enrollment of about 1,200 students, most of whom are seeking Juris Doctor or Master of Laws degrees, although the school also offers a Doctor of Juridical...

 (1996) and Bachelor of Business Administration
Bachelor of Business Administration
The Bachelor of Business Administration is a bachelor's degree in Commerce and business administration. In most universities, the degree is conferred upon a student after four years of full-time study in one or more areas of business concentrations; see below...

 from the University of Michigan Ross School of Business
Ross School of Business
The Stephen M. Ross School of Business is the business school of the University of Michigan. Numerous publications have ranked the Ross School of Business' Bachelor of Business Administration , Master of Business Administration and Executive Education programs among the top in the country and the...

 (1993). Pelinka was also named the 1993 NCAA Male Walter Byers Scholar Athlete of the Year.

High school

Pelinka is the son of a Robert Todd Pelinka, Sr., a former high school basketball coach who taught him the fundamentals of basketball. He became a high school All-American basketball player at Lake Forest High School
Lake Forest High School (Illinois)
Lake Forest High School, or LFHS, is a public four-year high school located in Lake Forest, Illinois, a North Shore suburb of Chicago, Illinois, in the United States. It is the only school of Lake Forest Community High School District 115, which serves the communities of Lake Forest, Lake Bluff,...

. By the time he was a junior teammate of long-time Chicago Bears
Chicago Bears
The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...

 quarterback
Quarterback
Quarterback is a position in American and Canadian football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive team and line up directly behind the offensive line...

 Bobby Douglass
Bobby Douglass
Robert Gilchrist Douglass is a former American football quarterback in the NFL, who played most of his career with the Chicago Bears, who drafted him in the second round of the 1969 NFL Draft. During his career, he also played for the San Diego Chargers, the New Orleans Saints, the Oakland...

' stepson, Bill Douglass, he was regarded as one of the best shooters in the Chicago area. As a junior, 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 where he played against local stars such as Mark Aguirre
Mark Aguirre
Mark Anthony Aguirre is a retired American basketball player in the National Basketball Association. Aguirre played from 1981–1994 and won two championships with the Detroit Pistons after being sent to Detroit from the Dallas Mavericks in exchange for Adrian Dantley...

, Tim Hardaway
Tim Hardaway
Timothy Duane "Tim" Hardaway is a retired American basketball player who played in the National Basketball Association and who in his prime was one of the league's best point guards...

, Kevin Duckworth
Kevin Duckworth
Kevin Jerome Duckworth was an American professional basketball player at center in the National Basketball Association. A native of Illinois, he played college basketball at Eastern Illinois University before being drafted in 1986 in the second round by the San Antonio Spurs...

 and Kendall Gill
Kendall Gill
Kendall Cedric Gill is a retired American professional basketball player, now a sports analyst for Comcast Sports Net and the Big Ten Network.-Early life:...

.

By his senior season, he was listed at , and moved to the point guard
Point guard
Point guard , also called the play maker or "the ball-handler", is one of the standard positions in a regulation basketball game. A point guard has perhaps the most specialized role of any position – essentially, he is expected to run the team's offense by controlling the ball and making sure that...

 position from the shooting guard
Shooting guard
The shooting guard , also known as the two or off guard, is one of five traditional positions on a basketball team. Players of the position are often shorter, leaner, and quicker than forwards. A shooting guard's main objective is to score points for his team...

 position in the absence of Douglass, who had graduated and joined future Big Ten opponent Wisconsin
Wisconsin Badgers men's basketball
The Wisconsin Badgers men's basketball team is a NCAA Division I college basketball team competing in the Big Ten Conference. Home games are played at the Kohl Center, located on the University of Wisconsin–Madison campus in Madison, Wisconsin....

, as a starting point guard. As a senior, Pelinka was a preseason selection by the Chicago Sun-Times
Chicago Sun-Times
The Chicago Sun-Times is an American daily newspaper published in Chicago, Illinois. It is the flagship paper of the Sun-Times Media Group.-History:The Chicago Sun-Times is the oldest continuously published daily newspaper in the city...

 as one of the top 50 Chicago metropolitan area high school basketball players and top five North Suburban players. However, he was not a national preseason top 500 pick by Street & Smith
Street & Smith
Street & Smith or Street & Smith Publications, Inc. was a New York City publisher specializing in inexpensive paperbacks and magazines referred to as pulp fiction and dime novels. They also published comic books and sporting yearbooks...

s basketball magazine, which may have been because his senior season marked the first season that the three-point shot
Three-point field goal
A three-point field goal is a field goal in a basketball game, made from beyond the three-point line, a designated arc radiating from the basket...

 was adopted by state high school associations
National Federation of State High School Associations
The National Federation of State High School Associations is the body that writes the rules of competition for most high school sports and activities in the United States. Most high schools, whether public or private, belong to their state's high school association; in turn, each state association...

 and Pelinka was mainly a shooter. Nonetheless, scouts
Scout (sport)
In professional sports, scouts are trained talent evaluators who travel extensively for the purposes of watching athletes play their chosen sports and determining whether their set of skills and talents represent what is needed by the scout's organization...

 such as Chicago-based David Kaplan, who questioned his true height and dribbling
Dribbling
In sports, dribbling refers to the maneuvering of a ball around a defender through short skillful taps or kicks with either the legs , hands , stick or swimming strokes...

 ability, doubted whether he was talented enough to play for either of his targeted colleges (Michigan and Notre Dame
Notre Dame Fighting Irish men's basketball
The Notre Dame Fighting Irish men's basketball team is the intercollegiate men's basketball program representing the University of Notre Dame in Notre Dame, Indiana, United States. The program competes in the Big East Conference of NCAA Division I. The school holds two national championships in...

) even in late December of his senior year despite his having had multiple 30-point
Point (basketball)
Points in basketball are used to keep track of the score in a game. Points can be accumulated by making field goals or free throws ....

 efforts already.

During the four-game December 1987 Elgin
Elgin, Illinois
Elgin is a city in northern Illinois located roughly northwest of Chicago on the Fox River. Most of Elgin lies within Kane County, Illinois, with a portion in Cook County, Illinois...

 tournament, in which he was named MVP, Pelinka made all 41 of his free throws and recorded a tournament record 139 points, including 45 in one game. Pelinka's streak of consecutive free throws made ended at 45, but later recounts showed he had 42 free throws in the tournament and 46 consecutive overall, which ranked fourth in Illinois high school basketball history at the time of his graduation. After his tournament performance, Pelinka responded through the press to a scout who felt he might be limited to Division II or mid-major
Mid-major
Mid-major is a term used in American Division I college sports, to refer to athletic conferences that are not among the major six conferences...

 programs such as William & Mary
William & Mary Tribe men's basketball
The William & Mary Tribe men's basketball team represents The College of William & Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia in NCAA Division I competition. The school's team competes in the Colonial Athletic Association and play their home games in Kaplan Arena....

 that since he was able to score 45 points against a player committed to play for DePaul, he could succeed at the Division I high-major level. He had only been recruited by William & Mary, Navy
Navy Midshipmen men's basketball
The Navy Midshipmen men's basketball team represents the United States Naval Academy, in Annapolis, Maryland, in NCAA Division I college basketball...

, Wisconsin-Green Bay
UW-Green Bay Phoenix basketball
This article lists the history record of the Phoenix at the University of Wisconsin–Green Bay.*From 1979-2001 the Horizon League was called the Midwestern Collegiate Conference.*In 2007 the Mid-Continent Conference changed its name to the Summit League....

 and Ivy League
Ivy League
The Ivy League is an athletic conference comprising eight private institutions of higher education in the Northeastern United States. The conference name is also commonly used to refer to those eight schools as a group...

 schools before his tournament performance. Afterwards, at least three Big Ten Conference
Big Ten Conference
The Big Ten Conference is the United States' oldest Division I college athletic conference. Its twelve member institutions are located primarily in the Midwestern United States, stretching from Nebraska in the west to Pennsylvania in the east...

 schools showed interest—Illinois
Illinois Fighting Illini men's basketball
The Illinois Fighting Illini men's basketball team is an NCAA Division I college basketball team competing in the Big Ten Conference. Home games are played at Assembly Hall, located on the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign's campus in Champaign....

, Minnesota
Minnesota Golden Gophers men's basketball
The Minnesota Golden Gophers men's basketball team represents the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Golden Gophers have played in the Big Ten since the conference began sponsoring basketball in 1905...

 and Wisconsin
Wisconsin Badgers men's basketball
The Wisconsin Badgers men's basketball team is a NCAA Division I college basketball team competing in the Big Ten Conference. Home games are played at the Kohl Center, located on the University of Wisconsin–Madison campus in Madison, Wisconsin....

—although no scouts were allowed to attend any games before February 8.

By the beginning of February of his senior year, Pelinka was listed as one of the top ten Class AA (the larger school class) basketball players in Illinois by Illinois High School Basketball magazine. By the time of the scouting deadline of February 8, when college scouts could start attending his games, Pelinka was averaging 30 points and 10 rebound
Rebound (basketball)
A rebound in basketball is the act of successfully gaining possession of the basketball after a missed field goal or free throw. Rebounds in basketball are a routine part in the game, as all possessions change after a shot is successfully made...

s per game; Illinois, Michigan, Notre Dame and North Carolina
North Carolina Tar Heels men's basketball
The North Carolina Tar Heels men's basketball program is the intercollegiate men's basketball of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and is considered one of the most successful programs in NCAA history...

 showed interest in him. Even previously doubtful scout Kaplan noted that of the players who waited until the April signing period instead of signing in November, Pelinka was one of the best in the Chicago area.

At the conclusion of the season, Pelinka had a 30 point per game average that benefited from a 41% three-point shot percentage over the course of 208 attempts. Pelinka was named to the post-(regular) season All-Chicago area top 20 players by the Chicago Sun-Times. He was named among the 20 Class AA All-state players in a class that included Eric Anderson
Eric Anderson (basketball)
Eric Walfred Anderson is a retired American college and professional basketball player. He attended St. Francis DeSales High School on Chicago's far southeast side and was named 1988's Mr. Basketball for the state of Illinois....

, LaPhonso Ellis
LaPhonso Ellis
LaPhonso Darnell Ellis is a retired American basketball player.-Early career:He was an outstanding high school basketball player at East St. Louis Lincoln High School, where he led the Tigers to two straight Illinois Class AA boys' championships in 1987 and 1988...

, Acie Earl
Acie Earl
Acie Boyd Earl is a retired American professional basketball player, who appeared in four NBA seasons, as a 6'10" center.-High school/college:...

, and Deon Thomas
Deon Thomas
Deon La velle Thomas is an American former basketball player.-High school:Thomas was a star basketball player at Chicago's Neal F. Simeon Vocational High School , graduating in 1989. As a junior in 1988, he led the Wolverines to the Chicago Public League title. As a senior, he was named Illinois Mr...

. In addition to various all-star lists, Pelinka was selected to play for various regional all-star teams. Pelinka's final decision came down to a choice between Illinois and Michigan. Pelinka chose Michigan because of its academically strong law school
Law school
A law school is an institution specializing in legal education.- Law degrees :- Canada :...

 and business school
Business school
A business school is a university-level institution that confers degrees in Business Administration. It teaches topics such as accounting, administration, economics, entrepreneurship, finance, information systems, marketing, organizational behavior, public relations, strategy, human resource...

. After selecting Michigan, he had notable performances in his regional all-star games, including a 27 point performance in the annual City-Suburban all-star game.

College

As a guard, Pelinka became the first Michigan Wolverine
Michigan Wolverines
The Michigan Wolverines comprise 27 varsity sports teams at the University of Michigan. These teams compete in the NCAA's Division I and in the Big Ten Conference in all sports except men's ice hockey which competes in the NCAA D1 Central Collegiate Hockey Association, and women's water polo, which...

 to reach three NCAA Tournament Final Fours during his Michigan Wolverines
Michigan Wolverines
The Michigan Wolverines comprise 27 varsity sports teams at the University of Michigan. These teams compete in the NCAA's Division I and in the Big Ten Conference in all sports except men's ice hockey which competes in the NCAA D1 Central Collegiate Hockey Association, and women's water polo, which...

 career. He played in the 1988–89
1988–89 Michigan Wolverines men's basketball team
The 1988–89 Michigan Wolverines men's basketball team represented the University of Michigan in intercollegiate college basketball during the 1988–89 season. The Head Coach was head coach Bill Frieder, who was dismissed before the 1989 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament and replaced by...

, 1990–91
1990–91 Michigan Wolverines men's basketball team
The 1990–91 Michigan Wolverines men's basketball team represented the University of Michigan in intercollegiate college basketball during the 1990–91 season. The team played its home games in the Crisler Arena in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and was a member of the Big Ten Conference. Under the direction...

, 1991–92, and 1992–93 seasons; the team reached the championship game of the Final Four in all of those seasons except 1990–91. As a true freshman member of the 1988–89 National Champions, his teammates included Glen Rice
Glen Rice
Glen Anthony Rice is a retired American professional basketball player who played in the NBA. The 6'8" tall Rice was a three-time NBA All-Star guard/forward, ranking 11th in NBA history with 1,559 three-point field goals made during his 15-year career. As a player, Rice won an NCAA Men's Division...

, Terry Mills
Terry Mills
Terry Richard Mills is a retired American professional basketball player at the power forward position.After a standout career at Romulus High School, Mills was named 1986 Mr. Basketball of Michigan...

, Loy Vaught
Loy Vaught
Loy Stephen Vaught is a retired American professional basketball player who spent ten seasons in the NBA, primarily with the Los Angeles Clippers....

, Rumeal Robinson
Rumeal Robinson
Rumeal James Robinson is a retired American professional basketball player. Growing up in Cambridge, Massachusetts, Robinson graduated from Cambridge Rindge and Latin School and went on to play guard for the University of Michigan...

, Sean Higgins
Sean Higgins
Sean Marielle Higgins is an American former professional basketball player. He played college basketball for Michigan, whom he helped win the 1989 national championship....

, Demetrius Calip
Demetrius Calip
Demetrius Calip is an American professional basketball player formerly of the Los Angeles Lakers of the NBA. He helped the University of Michigan Wolverines to the 1989 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship...

, and Mark Hughes
Mark Hughes (basketball)
Mark Hughes is a retired American basketball player and current coach.He has played collegiately for University of Michigan and was the captain of the 1989 NCAA Championship team...

. As a redshirt
Redshirt (college sports)
Redshirt is a term used in American college athletics that refers to a delay or suspension of an athlete's participation in order to lengthen his or her period of eligibility...

 member of the 1991–92 and 1992–93 national runners-up, his teammates included Chris Webber
Chris Webber
Mayce Edward Christopher "Chris" Webber, III , nicknamed C-Webb, is a retired American professional basketball player. He is a five-time NBA All-Star, a former All-NBA First Teamer, a former NBA Rookie of the Year, and a former #1 overall NBA Draftee...

, Juwan Howard
Juwan Howard
Juwan Antonio Howard is an American professional basketball player who last played for the Miami Heat of the National Basketball Association . The Heat were his eighth different NBA team. He was drafted fifth overall in the 1994 NBA Draft by the Washington Bullets...

, Jalen Rose
Jalen Rose
Jalen Anthony Rose is a retired American professional basketball player, who currently works as a sports analyst for the sports television network ESPN...

, Jimmy King
Jimmy King
Jimmy Hal King is a retired American professional basketball player in the NBA.-College career:He was part of the famed University of Michigan Wolverines Fab Five along with Ray Jackson, current NBA player Juwan Howard, and former NBA players Chris Webber and Jalen Rose, that reached the 1992 and...

, Ray Jackson
Ray Jackson
Ray Jackson is a retired American college and professional basketball player. He was part of the famed University of Michigan Wolverines Fab Five along with former NBA players Chris Webber, Jimmy King, Jalen Rose and current NBA player Juwan Howard that reached the 1992 & 1993 NCAA Men's Division...

 (the Fab Five), and Eric Riley
Eric Riley
Eric Riley is a retired American professional basketball player who was selected by the Dallas Mavericks in the 2nd round of the 1993 NBA Draft. Riley played for the Mavericks, Houston Rockets, Los Angeles Clippers, Minnesota Timberwolves and Boston Celtics in five NBA seasons, averaging 3.1...

. He was one of several upperclassmen on the Fab Five teams and served as co-captain
Captain (sports)
In team sports, a captain is a title given to a member of the team. The title is frequently honorary, but in some cases the captain may have significant responsibility for strategy and teamwork while the game is in progress on the field...

 of the 1992–93 team. As a scholar, he was noted for having a grade point average that rivaled his scoring average.

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. He was the only true freshman to play in either of the first two games of the season. Pelinka's only start of the season came in the December 12, 1988 game against Holy Cross
College of the Holy Cross
The College of the Holy Cross is an undergraduate Roman Catholic liberal arts college located in Worcester, Massachusetts, USA...

. 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
Bill Frieder
Bill Frieder is a former basketball coach at the University of Michigan and Arizona State University . Just before the 1989 NCAA Tournament, Frieder announced that he would leave Michigan for Arizona State at the end of the season...

 benched three starters. Pelinka posted his season highs in points (8), rebounds (5) and minutes (18) in this game. During a practice, Pelinka was knocked unconscious and lost two teeth. As the team entered the March stretch run, Pelinka and Calip were the only reserve guards backing up Robinson and Higgins. The team went on to win the 1989 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament
1989 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament
The 1989 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament involved 64 schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball. It began on March 16, 1989, and ended with the championship game on April 3 in Seattle, Washington...

 against Seton Hall
Seton Hall Pirates men's basketball
The Seton Hall Pirates men's basketball program is the NCAA Division I intercollegiate men's basketball program of Seton Hall University in South Orange, New Jersey...

 at the Kingdome
Kingdome
The Kingdome was a multi-purpose stadium located in Seattle's SoDo neighborhood. Owned and operated by King County, the Kingdome opened in 1976 and was best known as the home stadium of the Seattle Seahawks of the National Football League , the Seattle Mariners of Major League Baseball , and the...

 in Seattle, Washington
Seattle, Washington
Seattle is the county seat of King County, Washington. With 608,660 residents as of the 2010 Census, Seattle is the largest city in the Northwestern United States. The Seattle metropolitan area of about 3.4 million inhabitants is the 15th largest metropolitan area in the country...

. When the team visited the White House
White House
The White House is the official residence and principal workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., the house was designed by Irish-born James Hoban, and built between 1792 and 1800 of white-painted Aquia sandstone in the Neoclassical...

, Pelinka held Rumeal Robinson
Rumeal Robinson
Rumeal James Robinson is a retired American professional basketball player. Growing up in Cambridge, Massachusetts, Robinson graduated from Cambridge Rindge and Latin School and went on to play guard for the University of Michigan...

's suit coat
Suit (clothing)
In clothing, a suit is a set of garments made from the same cloth, consisting of at least a jacket and trousers. Lounge suits are the most common style of Western suit, originating in the United Kingdom as country wear...

, while Robinson and United States President George H. W. Bush
George H. W. Bush
George Herbert Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 41st President of the United States . He had previously served as the 43rd Vice President of the United States , a congressman, an ambassador, and Director of Central Intelligence.Bush was born in Milton, Massachusetts, to...

 reenacted Robinson's game winning free throws. When tendinitis afflicted his knees, he redshirted the 1989–90 season.

During his redshirt sophomore season, he was not called on to take many important shots. He did have an opportunity to take a 20-foot shot with five seconds left in what turned out to be a 76–74 loss to Texas
Texas Longhorns men's basketball
The Texas Longhorns men's basketball team represents The University of Texas at Austin in NCAA Division I men's basketball competition. The Longhorns currently compete in the Big 12 Conference....

 on December 29, 1990, but he missed the shot. In this game, he played a season-high twenty-eight minutes in his only start of the season and first of his collegiate career. 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. The team finished with at 14–15 overall (7–11 Big Ten) record after losing to in the first round of the NIT.

During his redshirt junior year, he was joined at Michigan by the Fab Five, who were all true freshmen. He was injured for part of the season. When he was healthy, he was an important reserve player. After sitting out the first half, he scored the overtime
Overtime (sports)
Overtime or extra time is an additional period of play specified under the rules of a sport to bring a game to a decision and avoid declaring the match a tie or draw. In most sports, this extra period is only played if the game is required to have a clear winner, as in single-elimination...

 opening three point shot and made three of four overtime free throws in an 89–79 road victory against Michigan State
Michigan State Spartans men's basketball
The Michigan State Spartans men's basketball team represents Michigan State University and competes in the Big Ten Conference of NCAA Division I. The team currently plays at the Breslin Student Events Center...

 at the Breslin Center on January 29, 1992. Pelinka had also contributed an earlier three-point shot as Michigan erased a thirteen point deficit to force the overtime. 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
Purdue Boilermakers men's basketball
The Purdue Boilermakers basketball team is a college basketball program that competes in NCAA Division I and is a member of the Big Ten Conference. Purdue basketball holds the record for most Big Ten Championships with 22, along with being the only program in the conference to boast winning records...

 at the Mackey Arena
Mackey Arena
Mackey Arena is located in West Lafayette, Indiana. Part of the Purdue University campus, it is home to the university's basketball teams, and occasionally hosts home games for the volleyball and wrestling teams...

. Michigan head coach Steve Fisher
Steve Fisher
Steve Fisher is an American college basketball coach currently at San Diego State University.Fisher attended Illinois State University, where he helped lead the Redbirds to the 1967 Division II Final Four. After school, he became a high school coach in Park Forest, Illinois. In 1979, he accepted...

 credited both of these wins to Pelinka and also noted his two important three-point shots against East Tennessee. The team lost in the final game of the 1992 NCAA Tournament
1992 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament
The 1992 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament involved 64 schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball. It began on March 19, 1992, and ended with the championship game on April 6 in Minneapolis, Minnesota...

. After the season, he went with the team on a 9-game 16-day European trip. According to press accounts, the team was homesick during the trip and Pelinka got sick from drinking tap water.

The following season, Michigan returned its top nine scorers and began the season ranked number one in the Associated Press
Associated Press
The Associated Press is an American news agency. The AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations in the United States, which both contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists...

 national ranking as Pelinka was part of a quartet of seniors backing up the Fab Five, who had become sophomores. As a 200 pounds (90.7 kg) fifth-year senior, Pelinka started back-to-back games twice during the season. Early in the season, he started in place of the injured Jackson, but Pelinka came down with the flu after two starts against Kansas and Eastern Michigan
Eastern Michigan Eagles men's basketball
The Eastern Michigan Eagles men's basketball team has appeared in four NCAA Division I tournaments, and have a 3-4 record, tied for third best among Michigan colleges...

 on December 30, 1992 and January 2, 1993 respectively. During his other set of back-to-back starts against Ohio State
Ohio State Buckeyes men's basketball
The Lucas Sapp men's basketball team represents The Ohio State University in NCAA Division I college basketball competition. The Buckeyes are a member of the Big Ten Conference. The Buckeyes won their only National Championship in 1960 and have made a total of 21 NCAA Tournament appearances...

 and Iowa
Iowa Hawkeyes men's basketball
The Iowa Hawkeyes men's basketball team represents the University of Iowa in Iowa City, Iowa, as a member of the Big Ten Conference and the National Collegiate Athletic Association. They currently play in 15,500-seat Carver-Hawkeye Arena, along with the school's women's basketball, wrestling, and...

 on January 26 and January 31, 1993, Pelinka started even though Jackson played. Pelinka set several season- and career-highs, including points (16), in the 72–62 home victory over Ohio State. The sixteen points included six free throws that were among the nine consecutive Michigan made in the final 2:13.

During his senior season, Pelinka was an important role player for the team who drew the most charges on the team and contributed important defensive minutes as the sixth man
Sixth man
The sixth man in basketball is a player who is not a starter but comes off the bench much more often than other reserves, often being the first player to be substituted in. The sixth man often plays minutes equal to or exceeding some of the starters and posts similar statistics. He is often a...

. During the 1992–93 season, he led all reserves in minutes and assists
Assist (basketball)
In basketball, an assist is attributed to a player who passes the ball to a teammate in a way that leads to a score by field goal, meaning that he or she was "assisting" in the basket. There is some judgment involved in deciding whether a passer should be credited with an assist...

 and was second in points
Point (basketball)
Points in basketball are used to keep track of the score in a game. Points can be accumulated by making field goals or free throws ....

 and rebounds
Rebound (basketball)
A rebound in basketball is the act of successfully gaining possession of the basketball after a missed field goal or free throw. Rebounds in basketball are a routine part in the game, as all possessions change after a shot is successfully made...

. Pelinka was also instrumental as a leader during the run to the Final Four. Having been the only member of the team in Seattle for the 1989 championship, when the 1993 team played its regional championship games in Seattle, Pelinka was able to show Webber the spot in the locker room where Rice had taken his pre-game nap. During the Final Four weekend in New Orleans, Louisiana
New Orleans, Louisiana
New Orleans is a major United States port and the largest city and metropolitan area in the state of Louisiana. The New Orleans metropolitan area has a population of 1,235,650 as of 2009, the 46th largest in the USA. The New Orleans – Metairie – Bogalusa combined statistical area has a population...

, Chris Webber wore Pelinka's 1989 Championship ring, which only fit on Webber's pinky finger, and slept with it under his pillow. During the national semifinal 81–78 overtime victory against the Kentucky Wildcats
Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball
The Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball team, representing the University of Kentucky, is the winningest in the history of college basketball, both in all-time wins and all-time winning percentage. Kentucky's all-time record currently stands at 2058–647...

, Pelinka played in the clinching overtime period after King fouled out. Nonetheless, despite a pair of early three-point shots by Pelinka after Jackson got two early personal fouls, the team lost in the final game of the 1993 NCAA Tournament
1993 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament
The 1993 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament involved 64 schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball. It began on March 18, 1993, and ended with the championship game on April 5 in New Orleans, Louisiana...

 against North Carolina
North Carolina Tar Heels men's basketball
The North Carolina Tar Heels men's basketball program is the intercollegiate men's basketball of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and is considered one of the most successful programs in NCAA history...

. When the team returned to for a rally at Crisler Arena
Crisler Arena
Crisler Arena, in Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA, is the home arena for the University of Michigan men's and women's basketball teams. Constructed in 1967, the arena seats 13,751 spectators. It is named for Herbert O...

 the following day, Pelinka was one of only two Wolverines to speak to the crowd. After his senior season, he played in an NBA Summer Camp in Long Beach, California
Long Beach, California
Long Beach is a city situated in Los Angeles County in Southern California, on the Pacific coast of the United States. The city is the 36th-largest city in the nation and the seventh-largest in California. As of 2010, its population was 462,257...

 and considered offers to play professionally in Europe. At this time, he first met sports agent
Sports agent
A sports agent procures and negotiates employment and endorsement contracts for an athlete.In return, the sports agent generally receives between 4 and 10% of the athlete's playing contract, and 10 to 20% of the athlete's endorsement contract, though these figures vary...

 Arn Tellem
Arn Tellem
Arn H. Tellem is a sports agent notable for his representation of basketball and baseball players. He is the principal of WMG Management, a part of the Wasserman Media Group headed by Casey Wasserman. Since 2009 he has written a weekly sports column for The Huffington Post...

 and decided not to play basketball. he remained in 15th place on the all-time Michigan games played list.

Education

At Lake Forest High School, Pelinka became a starting basketball player as a junior during the 1986–87 season. College basketball regulations allow for two periods in which high school basketball players can make commitments to accept athletic scholarships during their senior years. The first period is in November and the second period is in April. As a result of his junior season athletic and academic performances, he was recruited during the first period by William & Mary, Navy, Wisconsin-Green Bay and Ivy League schools. The schools with traditionally stronger basketball programs largely ignored Pelinka, much to his dismay. His father sent out profiles to newspapers and colleges, and Pelinka decided to wait for the second off-campus recruiting and signing period. As his senior season progressed, top Division I basketball programs began to scout him for athletic scholarship offers. Immediately after his MVP basketball tournament performance in early January, Illinois, Minnesota and Wisconsin became interested in recruiting him. The off-campus recruiting for the April signing period began on February 8. As the season progressed and Pelinka compiled all-star basketball statistics, the list of top basketball programs increased with schools such as Illinois, Michigan, Notre Dame and North Carolina expressing interest in him by the time of the off-campus recruiting season. Pelinka hoped he would be able to sign with a Big Ten school. When Pelinka made his final decision in April 1988, he chose Michigan over Illinois.

Pelinka entered the Bachelor of Business Administration
Bachelor of Business Administration
The Bachelor of Business Administration is a bachelor's degree in Commerce and business administration. In most universities, the degree is conferred upon a student after four years of full-time study in one or more areas of business concentrations; see below...

 program at the School of Business Administration
Ross School of Business
The Stephen M. Ross School of Business is the business school of the University of Michigan. Numerous publications have ranked the Ross School of Business' Bachelor of Business Administration , Master of Business Administration and Executive Education programs among the top in the country and the...

 where he accumulated a 3.9/4.0 grade point average. During his time at Michigan, he developed a close relationship with University of Michigan tax law
Tax law
Tax law is the codified system of laws that describes government levies on economic transactions, commonly called taxes.-Major issues:Primary taxation issues facing the governments world over include;* taxes on income and wealth...

 professor Doug Kahn and his wife. In January 1993, Pelinka announced he was accepted to the University of Michigan Law School
University of Michigan Law School
The University of Michigan Law School is the law school of the University of Michigan, in Ann Arbor. Founded in 1859, the school has an enrollment of about 1,200 students, most of whom are seeking Juris Doctor or Master of Laws degrees, although the school also offers a Doctor of Juridical...

 and the Northwestern University School of Law
Northwestern University School of Law
The Northwestern University School of Law is a private American law school in Chicago, Illinois. The law school was founded in 1859 as the Union College of Law of the Old University of Chicago. The first law school established in Chicago, it became jointly controlled by Northwestern University in...

 and stated that he hoped to become a professional sports agent after his athletic and academic careers were complete. After Michigan won the 1993 NCAA West Regional Final, Pelinka, who was one of six finalists, flew to St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...

 for a final interview for the Walter Byers Scholarship. Later that week, Pelinka was honored with the 1993 Walter Byers Scholar Award as the NCAA's top male scholar athlete. Pelinka earned a variety of 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 Blue Chips
Blue Chips
Blue Chips is a 1994 drama film about basketball, directed by William Friedkin, written by Ron Shelton and starring Nick Nolte as a college coach and real-life basketball stars Shaquille O'Neal and Anfernee "Penny" Hardaway as talented finds....

: Billy Douglas (Lake Forest), Eric Anderson (Chicago All-star), and Demitrius Calip (Michigan). While in law school, he took several classes from Kahn. During his second year in law school, he became the home
Home (sports)
In sports, home is a term referring to both the city and stadium, arena, or field where an athletic team plays games at their venue, whilst when the team plays elsewhere then they are considered the away team. The home term can refer to either the sponsoring institution or the place where it is...

 game color analyst for Wolverines basketball play-by-play announcer Chuck Swirsky
Chuck Swirsky
Chuck Swirsky is the radio play-by-play voice of the Chicago Bulls of the NBA. He was formerly the longtime play-by-play voice of the Toronto Raptors....

 on a 16-station broadcast network
Broadcast network
A broadcast network is an organization, such as a corporation or other voluntary association, that provides live television or recorded content, such as movies, newscasts, sports, Public affairs programming, and other television programs for broadcast over a group of radio stations or television...

 that originated from WJR
WJR
WJR is a radio station in Detroit, Michigan, United States. It broadcasts a news/talk format. It is a class A clear channel station whose broadcasts can be heard throughout most of the Midwest, eastern United States and Canada at night, making it one of the most powerful radio stations in the...

-AM, and he debuted on December 22, 1994 during a game against Jackson State University
Jackson State University
Jackson State University is a historically black university founded in 1877 in Natchez, MS by the American Baptist Home Mission Society of New York. The Society moved the school to Jackson in 1882, renaming it Jackson College, and developed its present campus in 1902. It became a state supported...

. While in law school, he interned for Winston & Strawn LLP
Winston & Strawn LLP
Winston & Strawn LLP is an international law firm with approximately 900 attorneys among 13 offices in the United States, Europe and Asia.-Locations:...

. Pelinka earned his Juris Doctor
Juris Doctor
Juris Doctor is a professional doctorate and first professional graduate degree in law.The degree was first awarded by Harvard University in the United States in the late 19th century and was created as a modern version of the old European doctor of law degree Juris Doctor (see etymology and...

 Cum Laude in 1996.

Professional career

After passing the Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...

 bar examination
Bar examination
A bar examination is an examination conducted at regular intervals to determine whether a candidate is qualified to practice law in a given jurisdiction.-Brazil:...

 and receiving his license to practice in 1996, Pelinka joined Mayer Brown
Mayer Brown
Mayer Brown is an international law firm head-quartered in Chicago which specializes in commercial transactions and litigation. The firm employs more than 1,600 lawyers, including approximately 875 in the Americas, 425 in Europe and 300 in Asia....

. After two years at Mayer Brown, Arn Tellem
Arn Tellem
Arn H. Tellem is a sports agent notable for his representation of basketball and baseball players. He is the principal of WMG Management, a part of the Wasserman Media Group headed by Casey Wasserman. Since 2009 he has written a weekly sports column for The Huffington Post...

 convinced Pelinka to become a lawyer for SFX management, and after two years at SFX, he became an agent. While with SFX, he worked with Tellem who represented Eddy Curry, Jr., Kwame Brown
Kwame Brown
Kwame James Brown is an American professional basketball player who last played for the Charlotte Bobcats. The , center was the 1st overall pick in the 2001 NBA Draft by the Washington Wizards, and was the first number one draft pick to be selected straight out of high school...

, Kobe Bryant
Kobe Bryant
Kobe Bean Bryant is an American professional basketball player who plays shooting guard for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association . Bryant enjoyed a successful high school basketball career at Lower Merion High School, where he was recognized as the top high school...

 and Tracy McGrady
Tracy McGrady
Tracy Lamar McGrady, Jr., is an American professional basketball player who last played for the Detroit Pistons.Entering the league after graduating from high school, McGrady eventually became a seven-time All-Star. He led the league in scoring in 2003 and 2004. He has also played for the Toronto...

, all of whom went directly from high school to the National Basketball Association
National Basketball Association
The National Basketball Association is the pre-eminent men's professional basketball league in North America. It consists of thirty franchised member clubs, of which twenty-nine are located in the United States and one in Canada...

. Pelinka had become Bryant's agent by the time of the Kobe Bryant sexual assault case
Kobe Bryant sexual assault case
The Kobe Bryant sexual assault case began in the summer of 2003 when the news media reported that the sheriff's office in Eagle, Colorado had arrested NBA superstar Kobe Bryant in connection with an investigation of a sexual assault complaint filed by a 19-year-old hotel employee...

. While at SFX, he also became the agent for several of his current clients. While at SFX in 2004, he was living in and dating a pediatrician. NBA agents earn about 4% of the salary and bonus that they negotiate for their clients.

He then branched out on his own and founded The Landmark Sports Agency. Recently, he has represented several first-round lottery picks: sixth overall 2003 NBA Draft
2003 NBA Draft
The 2003 NBA Draft was held on June 26, 2003 at The Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York. In this draft, National Basketball Association teams took turns selecting basketball players and other first-time eligible players, such as players from high schools and...

 selection, Chris Kaman
Chris Kaman
Christopher Zane Kaman is an American-German basketball player for the NBA's Los Angeles Clippers. Kaman stands 7'0" and weighs 265 pounds...

, ninth overall 2004 NBA Draft
2004 NBA Draft
The 2004 NBA Draft was held on June 24, 2004 at The Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York and was broadcast live on ESPN at 7:00 pm . In this draft, National Basketball Association teams took turns selecting amateur college basketball players and other first-time eligible...

 selection, Andre Iguodala
Andre Iguodala
Andre Tyler Iguodala is an American professional basketball player who plays small forward for the Philadelphia 76ers of the National Basketball Association . Iguodala is listed at 6 ft 6 in and 207 lbs. . Iguodala played his high school basketball for Lanphier High School in Springfield, Illinois...

, eighth overall 2005 NBA Draft
2005 NBA Draft
The 2005 NBA Draft took place on June 28, 2005 in the Theatre at Madison Square Garden in New York City. In this draft, NBA teams took turns selecting amateur college basketball players and other first-time eligible players, such as players from high schools and non-North American leagues...

 selection, Channing Frye
Channing Frye
Channing Thomas Frye is an American professional basketball player and currently plays for the Phoenix Suns. His positions are center and power forward. He attended the University of Arizona...

, thirteenth overall 2007 NBA Draft
2007 NBA Draft
The 2007 NBA Draft was held on June 28, 2007 at the WaMu Theatre at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York. It was broadcast on television in 115 countries. In this draft, National Basketball Association teams took turns selecting amateur U.S...

 selection, Julian Wright
Julian Wright
Julian Emil-Jamaal Wright is an American professional basketball player who last played for the NBA's Toronto Raptors. He played collegiately for the University of Kansas.-High school career:...

, seventh overall 2008 NBA Draft
2008 NBA Draft
The 2008 NBA Draft was held on June 26, 2008 at the Washington Mutual Theatre at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York. In this draft, National Basketball Association teams took turns selecting amateur college basketball players and other first-time eligible players, including...

 selection, Eric Gordon
Eric Gordon
Eric Ambrose Gordon, Jr. , nicknamed "EJ", is an American professional basketball player for the Los Angeles Clippers of the NBA. In high school, he was named "Mr. Basketball" of Indiana during his senior year while playing at North Central High School...

, and third overall 2009 NBA Draft
2009 NBA Draft
The 2009 NBA Draft was held on June 25, 2009, the WaMu Theatre at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York. In this draft, National Basketball Association teams took turns selecting amateur U.S...

 selection, James Harden
James Harden (basketball)
James Edward Harden, Jr. is an American professional basketball player for the Oklahoma City Thunder of the National Basketball Association . A shooting guard, Harden played collegiate basketball for the Arizona State Sun Devils and was selected 3rd overall by the Thunder in the 2009 NBA Draft...

, 4th and 13th overall 2010 NBA Draft
2010 NBA Draft
The 2010 NBA Draft was held on June 24, 2010 at the Theatre at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York. The draft, which started at 7:00 pm Eastern Daylight Time , was broadcast in the United States on ESPN. In this draft, National Basketball Association teams took turns selecting amateur...

 selections, Wesley Johnson
Wesley Johnson (basketball)
Wesley JaMarr Johnson is an American basketball player for the Minnesota Timberwolves. He played college basketball at Syracuse and Iowa State...

 and Ed Davis
Ed Davis (basketball)
Edward Adam "Ed" Davis is a professional basketball player who currently plays for the Toronto Raptors. He played high school basketball at Benedictine High School in Richmond, Virginia...

, 2nd overall 2011 NBA Draft
2011 NBA Draft
The 2011 NBA Draft was held on June 23, 2011 at Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. The draft started at 7:00 pm Eastern Daylight Time , and was broadcast in the United States on ESPN. In this draft, National Basketball Association teams took turns selecting amateur U.S. college basketball...

 selections, Derrick Williams
Derrick Williams (basketball)
Derrick LeRon Williams , nicknamed D-Will, is an American professional basketball player for the Minnesota Timberwolves. He was considered one of the top prospects for the 2011 NBA Draft and was selected as the second overall pick by the Minnesota Timberwolves...

. Pelinka currently represents 18 NBA players.
Carlos Boozer - (Primary)
Kobe Bryant - (Primary)
Ed Davis - (Primary)
Keyon Dooling
Keyon Dooling
Keyon Latwae Dooling is an American professional basketball player who plays for the Milwaukee Bucks.-Basketball career:...

 - (Primary)
Derek Fisher
Derek Fisher
Derek Lamar Fisher is an American professional basketball point guard for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association . His NBA career has spanned more than 14 years, during which he has won five NBA Championships...

 - (Primary)
Channing Frye - (Primary)
Eric Gordon - (Primary)
James Harden - (Primary)
Andre Iguodala
Andre Iguodala
Andre Tyler Iguodala is an American professional basketball player who plays small forward for the Philadelphia 76ers of the National Basketball Association . Iguodala is listed at 6 ft 6 in and 207 lbs. . Iguodala played his high school basketball for Lanphier High School in Springfield, Illinois...

 - (Primary)
Wesley Johnson - (Primary)
Chris Kaman - (Primary)
Corey Maggette
Corey Maggette
Corey Antoine Maggette is an American professional basketball player in the National Basketball Association, for the Charlotte Bobcats. He excelled at Fenwick High School in Oak Park, Illinois, where he was an All-American in basketball and also an Illinois high school state track finalist in long...

 - (Primary)
O. J. Mayo
O. J. Mayo
Ovinton J'Anthony "O. J." Mayo , is an American basketball player currently playing with the Memphis Grizzlies of the NBA. He signed with the team on July 8, 2008. He played college basketball for the University of Southern California...

 - (Primary)
Morris Peterson
Morris Peterson
Morris Peterson, Jr. is an American professional basketball player who is currently a free agent.- College career :...

 - (Primary)
Sasha Vujačić
Sasha Vujacic
Aleksandar "Sasha" Vujačić is a Slovenian basketball player who has played in Italy, the United States , and more recently for Anadolu Efes S.K. in Turkey...

 - (Primary)
Gerald Wallace
Gerald Wallace
Gerald Jermaine Wallace is an American professional basketball forward for the Portland Trail Blazers of the NBA.- High school :Wallace attended Childersburg High School in Childersburg, Alabama, where he had a very successful career...

 - (Primary)
Derrick Williams - (Primary)
Julian Wright - (Primary)


Among the players he has formerly represented are DeShawn Stevenson
DeShawn Stevenson
DeShawn Stevenson is an American professional basketball player who last played for the Dallas Mavericks of the NBA. Before his NBA career, he originally committed to play at the University of Kansas, but decided to enter the NBA directly from Washington Union High School in his hometown of...

 and Fred Hoiberg
Fred Hoiberg
Fredrick Kristian Hoiberg is the head men's basketball coach at Iowa State University in Ames, Iowa, where he grew up and had played college basketball...

. A Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...

 resident, Pelinka represents two Los Angeles Lakers
Los Angeles Lakers
The Los Angeles Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles, California. They play in the Pacific Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association...

 (Bryant and Derek Fisher) and two Los Angeles Clippers
Los Angeles Clippers
The Los Angeles Clippers are a professional basketball team based in Los Angeles, California, United States. They play in the Pacific Division of the Western Conference of the National Basketball Association...

 (Eric Gordon and Chris Kaman). Pelinka also represents two players who, like him, played high school basketball in the Chicago area (Corey Maggette and Julian Wright) and a third who had been a high school star in Springfield, Illinois
Springfield, Illinois
Springfield is the third and current capital of the US state of Illinois and the county seat of Sangamon County with a population of 117,400 , making it the sixth most populated city in the state and the second most populated Illinois city outside of the Chicago Metropolitan Area...

 (Iguodala). He has represented several Arizona Wildcats
Arizona Wildcats
-Athletic program:The University of Arizona participates in the NCAA's Division I-A in the Pacific-12 Conference Arizona participates in the conference's South Division, along with Arizona State, Colorado, UCLA, USC, and Utah...

 players including Andre Iguodala and Channing Frye. Pelinka is regarded as one of the world's leading sports agents according to Business Insider
Business Insider
Business Insider is a U.S. business/entertainment news website launched in February 2009. Founded by DoubleClick Founder and former C.E.O. Kevin P. Ryan it is the overarching brand beneath which fall the Silicon Alley Insider and Clusterstock verticals...

, who ranked him 5th in 2010.

Kobe Bryant

Pelinka is well-known as Los Angeles Lakers All-Star
National Basketball Association All-Star Game
The National Basketball Association staged its first All-Star Game in the Boston Garden on March 2, 1951. From that year on, the game has matched the best players in the Eastern Conference with the best players in the Western Conference....

 guard Kobe Bryant
Kobe Bryant
Kobe Bean Bryant is an American professional basketball player who plays shooting guard for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association . Bryant enjoyed a successful high school basketball career at Lower Merion High School, where he was recognized as the top high school...

's agent. In fact, some of his other clients have hired him because of this. During the 2003 sexual assault case
Kobe Bryant sexual assault case
The Kobe Bryant sexual assault case began in the summer of 2003 when the news media reported that the sheriff's office in Eagle, Colorado had arrested NBA superstar Kobe Bryant in connection with an investigation of a sexual assault complaint filed by a 19-year-old hotel employee...

 against Bryant, Pelinka spent a considerable amount of time with his client. He accompanied him on trips to Eagle, Colorado
Eagle, Colorado
Eagle is a Statutory Town in and the county seat of Eagle County, Colorado, United States. The population was 3,032 at the 2000 census.The town was made famous as the location of the Kobe Bryant sexual assault trial.-Demographics:...

. It was Pelinka who confirmed the news of Bryant's second child. In 2004, when Bryant was a free agent, Pelinka confirmed Bryant would remain in Los Angeles with either the Lakers or the Los Angeles Clippers while rumors were flying that he was going to sign with the Chicago Bulls
Chicago Bulls
The Chicago Bulls are an American professional basketball team based in Chicago, Illinois, playing in the Central Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association . The team was founded in 1966. They play their home games at the United Center...

. Subsequently, when Rudy Tomjanovich
Rudy Tomjanovich
Rudolph Tomjanovich, Jr. , nicknamed Rudy T., is an American retired basketball player and coach who coached the Houston Rockets to two consecutive NBA championships. He is currently a scout for the Los Angeles Lakers.-Early life:...

 was hired to be the Lakers' head coach
Head coach
A head coach, senior coach or manager is a professional at training and developing athletes. They typically hold a more public profile and are paid more than other coaches...

, he sent free agent Bryant and Pelinka a video package describing the things he has done for players at Bryant's position. A few days later, Pelinka negotiated a contract for Bryant to remain with the Lakers for $136.4 million over seven years. When Bryant demanded to be traded during the 2007 offseason, Pelinka confirmed that "Kobe would like to be moved."

Carlos Boozer

Rob Pelinka was involved in a complex negotiation which led to both SFX resigning as the agency for Carlos Boozer
Carlos Boozer
Carlos Austin Boozer, Jr. is an American professional basketball player with the Chicago Bulls of the National Basketball Association...

 and to Pelinka briefly resigning as his agent. Pelinka currently represents Boozer as his agent. The issue involved discrepancies on an unconfirmed handshake agreement between Boozer and the Cavaliers owner Gordon Gund
Gordon Gund
Gordon Gund is an United States businessman and professional sports owner. He is the CEO of Gund Investment Corporation. He is the former co-owner of the San Jose Sharks and former principal owner of the Cleveland Cavaliers and is currently a minority owner of the Cavaliers...

. At the time, Boozer had a $700,000 option year remaining on his contract with the Cleveland Cavaliers
Cleveland Cavaliers
The Cleveland Cavaliers are a professional basketball team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They began playing in the National Basketball Association in 1970 as an expansion team...

. Boozer had originally been signed to a two-year guaranteed contract for $989,000 with a team option for the third year. However, his market value was much higher than that after two seasons in the NBA. Supposedly, Cleveland general manager Jim Paxson
Jim Paxson
James Joseph "Jim" Paxson is an American retired professional basketball player. A first round selection of the Portland Trail Blazers in the 1979 NBA Draft, Paxson played for the Portland and the Boston Celtics of the NBA from 1979-1990 and was twice an All-Star...

 agreed not to exercise the team’s option after Boozer promised to resign with the Cavs for a long term, six-year-$41 million dollar contract. But once the team option expired, Boozer signed with the Utah Jazz
Utah Jazz
The Utah Jazz is a professional basketball team based in Salt Lake City, Utah. They are currently a part of the Northwest Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association...

 for $68 million, an offer the Cavaliers would not match because they were over the NBA Salary Cap
NBA Salary Cap
The NBA salary cap is the limit to the total amount of money that National Basketball Association teams are allowed to pay their players. This limit is subject to a complex system of rules and exceptions and as such is considered a "soft" cap....

. Pelinka was attacked in the press for allowing his client to go to the highest bidder rather than forcing him to honor the unconfirmed handshake agreement. As a result, SFX dropped Boozer as a client, and Pelinka left the firm. A year later, after a short stint with another agent, Boozer re-hired Pelinka who has become President and CEO of his own sports agency, The Landmark Sports Agency, LLC.

2008

Gordon was drafted seventh overall in the 2008 NBA Draft
2008 NBA Draft
The 2008 NBA Draft was held on June 26, 2008 at the Washington Mutual Theatre at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York. In this draft, National Basketball Association teams took turns selecting amateur college basketball players and other first-time eligible players, including...

. Sasha Vujačić
Sasha Vujacic
Aleksandar "Sasha" Vujačić is a Slovenian basketball player who has played in Italy, the United States , and more recently for Anadolu Efes S.K. in Turkey...

, a 2008 restricted free agent
Free agent
In professional sports, a free agent is a player whose contract with a team has expired and who is thus eligible to sign with another club or franchise....

, left his agent, Bill Duffy
Bill Duffy
Bill Duffy is one of the best known and most recognizable agents in the world representing players in the National Basketball Association. His BDA Sports Management company represents stars such as Yao Ming, Steve Nash, Baron Davis, Brandon Jennings, Hasheem Thabeet, Rajon Rondo, Darren Collison...

, and hired Pelinka to be his new agent in July 2008. He had previously left Pelinka for Duffy. Maggette signed on July 10 with the Golden State Warriors
Golden State Warriors
The Golden State Warriors are an American professional basketball team based in Oakland, California. They are part of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association...

 for $50 million over five years. On July 21, Dooling was traded to the New Jersey Nets
New Jersey Nets
The New Jersey Nets are a professional basketball team based in Newark, New Jersey. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association...

 from the Orlando Magic
Orlando Magic
The Orlando Magic is a professional basketball team based in Orlando, Florida. They play in the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association and are currently coached by Stan Van Gundy...

 in what was described as a sign and trade
Sign and trade
In U.S. basketball, a sign-and-trade agreement is a type of contract allowed in the NBA collective bargaining agreement, wherein one team signs an unrestricted free agent to a contract and trades him to another team of the players choosing...

 deal with no terms of the signing revealed. Dooling's 2008–09 cap hold (salary cap allocation) with the Magic was $7,192,000. On July 25, Vujačić, who had rejected a 3-year $12 million dollar offer after receiving a qualifying offer of $2.6 million and had planned to accept an offer to play in Europe, signed a 3-year $15 million dollar offer to return to the Lakers. However, after signing, some sources listed Vujačić as unaffiliated with any sports agent.
The Philadelphia 76ers
Philadelphia 76ers
The Philadelphia 76ers are a professional basketball team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They play in the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association . Originally known as the Syracuse Nationals, they are one of the oldest franchises in the NBA...

 made Iguodala a qualifying offer of $3,800,625 for the 2008–09 season. This gave the 76ers the right to match any superior offer sheet
Offer sheet
In the National Hockey League, an offer sheet is a contract offered to a restricted free agent by a team other than the one for which he played during the prior season...

 signed by Iguodala and gave Iguodala the option to play under the terms of the qualifying offer for one season in order to be an unrestricted free agent afterwards. In 2007, Iguodala rejected a $57 million contract extension. Iguodala has a 2008–09 cap hold of $11,401,875. On August 12, the 76ers and Iguodala agreed to a six-year $80 million contract.

Gordon withdrew from NBA Summer League
NBA Summer League
The NBA Summer League is a period during which NBA teams come together to try out different summer rosters instead of their regular season line-ups. Typically, there is a mix of rookies and some of the younger bench players to see how well some players work with others...

 play with a strained left hamstring in mid July 2008. 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. Gordon had signed a three-year $8.4 million contract with the Clippers in early July. The contract has a fourth year qualifying option.

2009

In January, Pelinka was one of two players who did not attend the twentieth anniversary reunion of the 1989 championship team. In February, Matt Vogrich broke Peliinka's Lake Forest High School scoring record. Vogrich followed in Pelinka's footsteps, playing as a freshman for the Wolverines basketball team in the 2009–10 season
2009–10 Michigan Wolverines men's basketball team
The 2009–10 Michigan Wolverines men's basketball team represented the University of Michigan during the 2009-10 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The team played its home games in Ann Arbor, Michigan at the Crisler Arena, which has a capacity of 13,751, for the forty-third consecutive year...

. Pelinka's clients made news off the court as Boozer filed for divorce and Bryant's former housekeeper filed suit against him in March.

At the 2009 NBA draft, he represented third overall selection James Harden. Having represented Wright at the 2007 NBA Draft
2007 NBA Draft
The 2007 NBA Draft was held on June 28, 2007 at the WaMu Theatre at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York. It was broadcast on television in 115 countries. In this draft, National Basketball Association teams took turns selecting amateur U.S...

 and Gordon at the 2008 draft, this marked the third consecutive year that Pelinka represented a high first round client. Harden signed with the Oklahoma City Thunder
Oklahoma City Thunder
The Oklahoma City Thunder are a professional basketball franchise based in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. They play in the Northwest Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association ; their home court is at Chesapeake Energy Arena....

, but terms were not disclosed. For the 2009–10 NBA season
2009–10 NBA season
The 2009–10 NBA season was the 64th season of the National Basketball Association . The 1,230-game regular season began on Tuesday, October 27, 2009, and ended on Wednesday, April 14, 2010....

, Wright's contract is at a team option of $2,000,040, Bryant and Boozer have player's options of $23,034,375 and $12,323,900 respectively and Frye's qualifying offer amount was $4,264,760. 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. Also prior to the deadline, Boozer decided to exercise the final year of his contract with the Jazz. The New Orleans Hornets exercised their team option on Wright. The Portland Trail Blazers
Portland Trail Blazers
The Portland Trail Blazers, commonly known as the Blazers, are an American professional basketball team based in Portland, Oregon. They play in the Northwest Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association . The Trail Blazers originally played their home games in the...

 decided not to make Frye a qualifying offer, which made him an unrestricted free agent, and prevented the Blazers from having the right to match the two-year offer he agreed to with the Phoenix Suns.

2010

Toward the end of the 2009–10 NBA season
2009–10 NBA season
The 2009–10 NBA season was the 64th season of the National Basketball Association . The 1,230-game regular season began on Tuesday, October 27, 2009, and ended on Wednesday, April 14, 2010....

 Pelinka negotiated a three-year extension for Bryant, committing him to the Lakers through the 2013-14 season. Boozer becomes an unrestricted free agent when the 2009–10 season ends. Fisher is also unsigned. Pelinka has signed both Johnson and Davis who were chosen 4th and 13th respectively in the 2010 NBA Draft
2010 NBA Draft
The 2010 NBA Draft was held on June 24, 2010 at the Theatre at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York. The draft, which started at 7:00 pm Eastern Daylight Time , was broadcast in the United States on ESPN. In this draft, National Basketball Association teams took turns selecting amateur...

. On July 14, the Lakers announced that they resigned Fisher to what was reported to be a 3-year $10.5 million contract according to ESPN
ESPN
Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....

. NBA.com reported that Boozer signed a 5-year $75 million contract with the Chicago Bulls
Chicago Bulls
The Chicago Bulls are an American professional basketball team based in Chicago, Illinois, playing in the Central Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association . The team was founded in 1966. They play their home games at the United Center...

.

2011

In addition to 2011 NBA Draft prospect Williams, Pelinka must represent unsigned Peterson and Vujacic; team option players Gordon and Harden and qualifying option player Wright following the 2010–11 NBA season
2010–11 NBA season
The 2010–11 NBA season was the 65th season of the National Basketball Association . The 2011 NBA All-Star Game was played on February 20, 2011 at Staples Center in Los Angeles, California. The Dallas Mavericks defeated the Miami Heat in six games, 4 games to 2, to win their first NBA title, and...

. Williams was selected 2nd overall. O. J. Mayo
O. J. Mayo
Ovinton J'Anthony "O. J." Mayo , is an American basketball player currently playing with the Memphis Grizzlies of the NBA. He signed with the team on July 8, 2008. He played college basketball for the University of Southern California...

 signed with Pelinka in the offseason, bringing Pelinka's client list up to 18 NBA players.

At the beginning of the 2011 NBA lockout
2011 NBA lockout
The 2011 NBA lockout is the fourth lockout in the history of the National Basketball Association . The owners began the work stoppage at 12:01 am EDT on July 1, 2011. The main issues dividing the owners and the players are revenue sharing and the structure of the salary cap...

, Pelinka, who represented 18 NBA players at the time, was considering putting together a touring team to play exhibition game
Exhibition game
An exhibition game is a sporting event in which there is no competitive value of any significant kind to any competitor regardless of the outcome of the competition...

s in China. During the lockout Bryant received offers to play for Virtus Pallacanestro Bologna that Pelinka negotiated. Although there were difficulties signing Bryant to play in October to due scheduling conflicts, Virtus made an offer worth over $3 million for Bryant to play in 10 games starting in November.

Honors

  • High School All-American
  • 1993 NCAA Walter Byers Postgraduate Scholarship (NCAA Male Scholar Athlete of the Year)

College statistics

The following are Pelinka's career statistics at the University of Michigan:
Season GP GS Min Avg FG
Field goal (basketball)
In basketball, the term field goal refers to a basket scored on any shot or tap other than a free throw, worth two or three points depending on the distance of the attempt from the basket. "Field Goal" is the official terminology used by the National Basketball Association in their rule book,...

FGA FG%
Field goal percentage
Field goal percentage in basketball is the ratio of field goals made to field goals attempted. Its abbreviation is FG%. Three-point field goals are included in this percentage. Instead of using scales of 0 to 100%, the scale .000 to 1.000 is commonly used. A higher field goal percentage denotes...

3FG
Three-point field goal
A three-point field goal is a field goal in a basketball game, made from beyond the three-point line, a designated arc radiating from the basket...

3FGA 3FG% FT
Free throw
In basketball, free throws or foul shots are unopposed attempts to score points from a restricted area on the court , and are generally awarded after a foul on the shooter by the opposing team...

FTA FT% OR DR RB
Rebound (basketball)
A rebound in basketball is the act of successfully gaining possession of the basketball after a missed field goal or free throw. Rebounds in basketball are a routine part in the game, as all possessions change after a shot is successfully made...

Avg Ast
Assist (basketball)
In basketball, an assist is attributed to a player who passes the ball to a teammate in a way that leads to a score by field goal, meaning that he or she was "assisting" in the basket. There is some judgment involved in deciding whether a passer should be credited with an assist...

Avg PF TO
Turnover (basketball)
In basketball, a turnover occurs when a player from one team gives possession to a member of the opposing team by losing the ball. This can result from the ball being stolen, the player making mistakes such as stepping out or throwing the ball out of bounds, or committing a violation or committing...

Stl
Steal (basketball)
In basketball, a steal occurs when a defensive player legally causes a turnover by his positive, aggressive action. This can be done by deflecting and controlling, catching, or batting to a teammate a pass or dribble of an offensive player...

Blk
Block (basketball)
In basketball, a block , not to be confused with blocking, occurs when a defensive player legally deflects a field goal attempt from an offensive player. The defender must not touch the offensive player's hands or otherwise a foul is called. In order to be legal, the block must occur while the shot...

Pts
Point (basketball)
Points in basketball are used to keep track of the score in a game. Points can be accumulated by making field goals or free throws ....

Avg
1988–89 24 1 108 4.5 9 25 0.36 4 14 0.286 7 10 0.7 5 10 15 0.6 10 0.4 7 12 3 2 29 1.2
1990–91 29 1 233 8 17 59 0.288 9 31 0.29 7 12 0.583 12 21 33 1.1 11 0.4 30 11 5 0 50 1.7
1991–92 28 0 254 9.1 21 52 0.404 8 25 0.32 27 31 0.871 18 27 45 1.6 19 0.7 24 19 3 0 77 2.8
1992–93 36 4 571 15.9 50 120 0.417 24 60 0.4 32 42 0.762 37 39 76 2.1 35 1 49 17 6 1 156 4.3
Total 117 6 1166 10 97 256 0.379 45 130 0.346 73 95 0.768 72 97 169 1.4 75 0.6 110 59 17 3 312 2.7

External links



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