How Rob Pelinka, Lakers helped turn Victor Wembanyama into a near-unstoppable MVP candidate

How Rob Pelinka, Lakers helped turn Victor Wembanyama into a near-unstoppable MVP candidate originally appeared on The Sporting News . Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here . For as good as Victor Wembanyama was during his first two seasons with the San Antonio Spurs , he still entered the 2025-26 season with something to prove.

For starters, remaining healthy was likely a top priority for the former No. 1 overall pick, as he suffered a deep vein thrombosis in his right shoulder and missed the second half of his sophomore campaign (he sat out 38 total games). Additionally, it’s reasonable to assume Wembanyama was eager to show that his superhuman contributions could not only lead to a playoff appearance this season, but also a lengthy run (San Antonio didn’t make the postseason in 2023-24 or 2024-25).

So far, so good for the 7-foot-4 superstar center, as he only missed 18 games, finished third in MVP voting, and has the Spurs in decent shape to outduel the Oklahoma City Thunder in the Western Conference Finals (the series is tied 1-1 heading to San Antonio). While the Spurs obviously had much to do with Wembanyama’s continued ascension in the big leagues, Los Angeles Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka has also helped turn the 22-year-old into a near-unstoppable MVP candidate. “Last April, he (Wembanyama’s agent, Bouna Ndiaye) called Los Angeles Lakers general manager and president of basketball operations Rob Pelinka, who represented Kobe Bryant for much of his career, and scheduled a lunch,” ESPN’s Ramona Shelbourne wrote Wednesday.

“The reason was simple. ” “The way they think is different,” Ndiaye said. “The way they play, the way they stretch themselves.