Lakers GM Rob Pelinka Releases Beautiful Statement on Passing of Kobe Bryant

Before Rob Pelinka was building the next generation of the Los Angeles Lakers, he was the agent who paved the way for Kobe Bryant's NBA journey in LA.

And the bond the two men shared was about so much more than basketball. In fact, Pelinka and Bryant were clearly family.

It wasn't hard to see a future for Bryant in the Lakers' front office operation in the years to come, once Gigi went off to college, of course, as long as Pelinka was installed at the top. That all clattered to the ground on Sunday following Bryant's tragic passing, and his old partner was finally able to speak on their bond on Thursday.

"On Sunday, I lost my best friend and my sweet goddaughter."

Pelinka holds nothing back from the second ink hit paper.

In case anyone was unclear on why exactly the Lakers felt the need to cancel Tuesday's home game against their crosstown rival Clippers, hopefully this clarifies things. Those behind the Lakers' curtain didn't just lose a local legend on Sunday; they lost multiple members of their forever family.

Pelinka is hurting more than most, and we hope this statement allowed him to soothe at least a portion of his soul.