Mitch Kupchak’s post-Los Angeles Lakers career:
Probably the one with the longest and most successful career in basketball after retirement, it is most due, considering how his playing career derailed. That ill-fated injury in 1982 uprooted his career, that was never the same anymore.
Mitch Kupchak made the most of his time away from the court, getting a Master of Business Administration at UCLA. When his career on the floor was officially over he joined Jerry West in the front office as Assistant General Manager and was promoted to General Manager in 1994.
In 2001, with Jerry West’s resignation, he took control of the front office and built multiple contenders and NBA champions. He brought in numerous players such as Karl Malone, Gary Payton, Pau Gasol, Ron Artest, Dwight Howard and Steve Nash.
Mitch left his mark on the Los Angeles Lakers, while the league and (probably) Jim Buss’s incompetence interfered more than once with his work, causing some disappointment and robbing the Lakers of further success.
The team’s more recent struggles after 2013, with heavy missteps (Mozgov, Deng), and the need of a major shakeup and a fresh start, led to his firing along with Jim Buss in 2017.
But his experience has not been wasted, as one year later he received from Michael Jordan the offer for another important job as President of Basketball Operations and General Manager of the Charlotte Hornets.