People all over the world considered Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant to be a member of their family, but for general manager Rob Pelinka, he actually was.
Pelinka was the long-time agent of Bryant’s before moving into a front office role with the Lakers. The two did everything together and Pelinka remains extremely close with Vanessa and the Bryant family to this day.
Bryant finally got his long-awaited statue in a beautiful ceremony before a recent game against the Denver Nuggets, although Vanessa revealed that two more statues are also on the way.
Pelinka of course was in attendance at the ceremony and reflected on how great it was as well as the impact that Kobe made on the world.
“So proud of Vanessa Bryant and her beautiful family. What an incredible celebration,” Pelinka said. “I think one of the great joys for me was being able to travel the world with Kobe as his agent; trips to Asia, Europe and several places. I think everybody knows Kobe was a Renaissance man of sorts, and so when we would travel, his curiosity would always kick in as far as the cultures of the places we would visit, and often that led to sometimes even looking at art.
“Obviously, Kobe spent time growing up in Italy, and so to be able to stand under the Sistine Chapel with him, hearing him talk about seeing that as a kid or what he knew about Michelangelo as an artist, were amazing conversations. Amazing moments. I remember one time we were at a different museum on one of the trips and he was talking about how (Vincent) van Gogh would paint with a ferocious stroke of the brush, and you could see it when you got close to his paintings. I just had some of those memories flash into my head when I was sitting there with the statue being unveiled. At the time of the accident in 2020, people would say things like, ‘Loss. Such a loss.’ I always struggled with that word, because I think we all know Kobe isn’t lost from us. He’s still with us so powerfully. I was thinking of being in the presence of that statue and just how powerful it was and what a place it is for us to now all go to be in his presence.
“Much like some of those trips I would take with him to see a piece of art, you would often feel like you were in the presence of the artist even though the artist wasn’t there. I hope that’s what that place and that statue becomes for his fans around the world. Just a place to go and feel his presence and feel his inspiration in our lives. That’s certainly what was running through my mind as I was sitting there with my family, taking in a beautiful moment.”
The first of three statues featured Bryant in his No. 8 jersey holding up one finger to the sky, the iconic image from after he scored 81 points in 2006. The other two statues are expected to feature him in a No. 24 jersey and then him with his daughter Gianna.
Until the unveiling of the first statue, it was a mystery what it would look like, although Pelinka admitted that he knew.
“I was aware. I kept a very good secret with Vanessa,” Pelinka said. “I just knew that was a powerful moment in so many ways for him. I think that pose is going to take on a life of its own in so many different ways when fans experience it. Of course it brings you back to the 81-point game, but I also was just struck with him pointing up to the heavens, just knowing that he and Gigi are in a good place. The pose took on some different meaning there for me. It’s an incredible pose.
“Obviously that was a moment in his career he was proud of. Mostly because of the fact that they won that game. He wasn’t keeping track of points. He was trying to do what it would take for the team to win. That’s what that stands for.”
Rob Pelinka tells his favorite Kobe Bryant story
During the ceremony, the people that spoke told some of their favorite Kobe Bryant stories. Pelinka certainly has a lot of his own great stories to tell, but the one that stands out to him involves their families and nothing to do with basketball.
“There were so many stories,” Pelinka said. “I can tell hundreds and hundreds, but most of them involve my kids just because I’m a dad. I could tell basketball stories, or agent negotiating stories all day, but I remember one story where we went on what I would call a glamping fishing trip with the Bryants. My daughter, Emery, she was still in a carseat carrier, so you’d put her in the backseat and carry the little bundle with her in it. And we did some sort of stagecoach ride on a covered wagon, and there was a barbecue or something, it was just fun family time under the stars in Montana. Somehow Kobe and I got into a competition of shooting arrows, or doing something with axes, and just kind of having fun.
“I stepped back and flipped the bottom of the carseat and my daughter went in the air, and I just remember Kobe scooped down with one arm and grabbed her and kept her safe. She was crying and he kind of calmed her down. He was such an amazing friend to be around kids. I still remember how he always had an eye for not only his own kids, but kids around him.”
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