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Sources: Lakers extend Rob Pelinka through 2026 to align with 1st-year coach Darvin Ham's contract

Los Angeles Lakers vice president of basketball operations Rob Pelinka has agreed to a multiyear contract extension, league sources told Yahoo Sports.

The new contract structure goes through 2026, sources said.

The Lakers’ ownership group, led by Jeanie Buss, believes deeply in management and the coach being in alignment on one vision. Pelinka’s contract is now set to expire at the same time as first-year head coach Darvin Ham, who signed a four-year deal.

Pelinka, 52, has been with the Lakers since 2017 as general manager and was promoted to vice president of basketball operations in 2020.

In his first full season as GM, the Lakers signed LeBron James in free agency in the summer of 2018. Building around James became the priority, and the following summer, the Lakers executed a three-team trade that brought Anthony Davis to Los Angeles.

Just a year later, the duo led the Lakers to the 2020 NBA championship in the Orlando bubble.

James and Davis signed extensions later that year, while James signed his second Lakers extension this summer. Pelinka is the only GM who has extended James twice.

Pelinka wants James to retire as a Laker and has promised to provide the resources needed to compete for additional titles.

The Lakers hired Ham earlier this year and acquired Patrick Beverley in a trade this summer.

Los Angeles Lakers vice president of basketball operations and general manager Rob Pelinka, right, talks with head coach Darvin Ham before a preseason game in Las Vegas on Oct. 6, 2022. (Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
Los Angeles Lakers vice president of basketball operations and general manager Rob Pelinka, right, talks with head coach Darvin Ham before a preseason game in Las Vegas on Oct. 6, 2022. (Ethan Miller/Getty Images)