In spite of the historically awful season the Lakers are currently finishing, the Buss family gave their general manager, Mitch Kupchak, a vote of approval late Tuesday night/Wednesday morning. Kupchak agreed to a multi-year extension with the Lakers, with the terms not yet disclosed, according to ESPN LA’s Ramona Shelburne.
Kupchak has been with the Lakers organization since 1981, when he played in the purple and gold until 1986. Following his retirement in ’86, Kupchak moved directly into the Lakers front office, taking the assistant GM role under Jerry West. Kupchak moved to the official GM role after West was promoted to VP of basketball operations, and has had complete control since West moved on from the Lakers organization in 2000.
Under Kupchak since 2000, the Lakers have 5 titles and 7 Finals appearances. However, Kupchak and the Lakers front office will have their hardest task in years when they’ll be tasked with rebuilding the Lakers from scratch this summer back into a title contender. This vote of confidence from the owners, however, will certainly keep Kupchak focused on the challenges ahead.