All high-profile members of the Los Angeles Lakers seem to be taking heat over the franchise's recent turmoil, including general manager Rob Pelinka.
Among several points of concern with Pelinka, multiple Lakers staffers criticized the GM for his "storytelling," which is viewed as disingenuous at best, according to ESPN's Baxter Holmes. One example circulated around the organization involves an anecdote he told a team meeting as part of the Lakers' "Genius Series" in March 2018, when actor and former wrestler Dwyane "The Rock" Johnson addressed the team.
"There was one time when Kobe (Bryant, Pelinka's former client when he was an agent) ... was going back to play in Madison Square Garden, and he had just seen 'The Dark Knight,'" Pelinka told the room, according to Holmes.
"Obviously, you guys saw that movie, and he's like, 'Hey, hook me up with dinner with Heath Ledger, because he got so locked into that role. I want to know how he mentally went there.' So, he had dinner with Heath, and he talked about how he locks in for a role. And Kobe used some of that in his game against the Knicks."
There's video of Pelinka telling the Kobe-Ledger story. How come someone blatantly lie like that? pic.twitter.com/hsh1u8wwp7
— John Ledesma (@JohnnyNBA) May 28, 2019
However, "The Dark Knight" was released in July 2008, six months after Ledger died of a drug overdose. No such arrangement between Bryant and the actor was ever made and no dinner took place, a source told Holmes.
Pelinka was slammed by former Lakers president Magic Johnson in a TV interview May 20, with Johnson accusing the agent-turned-GM of stabbing him in the back. Pelinka has denied the assertions.
