The Los Angeles Lakers parted ways with general manager Mitch Kupchak last February, a move that seemed to be years of disappointment in the making. The Lakers’ inability to recover from a handful of missteps, some out of their control, finally needed answers.
Kupchak’s 36-year career with the Lakers coming to an end was one of the tolls of another failed-to-launch season, ending an era that seemingly ran forever. In came Magic Johnson and Rob Pelinka to revitalize the front office, and out went Kupchak, Jim Buss and the “old” Lakers way.
Mitch has since gone off the radar, enjoying a quieter life now that the weight of having one of the biggest sports franchises in the world no longer rests on his broad shoulders.