[Senator Clay Davis]

The Lakers turning into the even more ridiculous version of the Knicks is awesome suffice to say.

In his introductory news conference in March 2017, Pelinka declared, "I'm a little bit of a storyteller by nature."

During the session, Pelinka quoted scripture. He compared joining the Lakers to "When Harry Met Sally." He talked about camping in Montana with Kobe Bryant. He talked about seeing a picture of a boy in a Syrian refugee camp wearing a Kobe Bryant jersey. He called Kobe Bryant a "North Star" and said Bryant's impact on the team was like sugar dissolving in coffee: "Once it's there, it's there forever."

He once called point guard Lonzo Ball "transcendent" and mentioned him alongside Steve Jobs and Bill Gates. He compared the young Lakers' potential to Taylor Swift. After signing Caldwell-Pope, Pelinka again referenced the Bible. In a news conference after signing James, Pelinka put on glasses and started reading from Paulo Coelho's "The Alchemist," noting that James had read it and that Bryant had also given him a copy.

Pelinka's penchant for "storytelling," multiple Lakers staffers told ESPN, is viewed as disingenuous -- at best.

One story shared around the organization unfolded in March 2018, when Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson was addressing the team at the Lakers' practice facility as part of the franchise's "Genius Talks" series.

Standing beside Johnson, Pelinka told a story about his former client, Bryant.

"There was one time when Kobe, who I worked with for 18 years, was going back to play in Madison Square Garden, and he had just seen 'The Dark Knight,'" Pelinka said. "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."

"The Dark Knight" was released in July 2008, six months after Ledger died. A source with direct knowledge said no such arrangement was made and no dinner ever took place.

http://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/2...ba-crown-jewel