Mitchell Kupchak (born May 24, 1954) is an American professional

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...

executive and retired player. He is the former president of basketball operations and general manager of the

Charlotte Hornets The Charlotte Hornets are an American professional basketball team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Hornets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference. The team ...

of the

National Basketball Association The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada). The NBA is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Ca ...

(NBA). As a college player, Kupchak was an

All-American The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed on outstanding athletes in the United States who are considered to be among the best athletes in their respective sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an Al ...

at the

University of North Carolina The University of North Carolina is the Public university, public university system for the state of North Carolina. Overseeing the state's 16 public universities and the North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics, it is commonly referre ...

and a member of the gold medal-winning 1976 United States Olympic team. As a professional player, he won three NBA titles – one as a member of the

Washington Bullets The Washington Wizards are an American professional basketball team based in Washington, D.C. The Wizards compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference. The team plays i ...

and two with the

Los Angeles Lakers The Los Angeles Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Lakers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division (NBA), Pacific Division of the Western Conference (NBA ...

Early life

Mitchell Kupchak was born on May 24, 1954, in Brentwood, New York. He attended Brentwood High School, where he excelled in

College career

He was an

on the

North Carolina Tar Heels men's basketball The North Carolina Tar Heels men's basketball program is a college basketball team of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The Tar Heels have won six NCAA championships (1957 NCAA University Division basketball tournament, 1957, 198 ...

team, and was named Atlantic Coast Conference Player of the Year in his senior season. Kupchak played on the gold medal-winning team at the

1976 Summer Olympics The 1976 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Games of the XXI Olympiad () and officially branded as Montreal 1976 (), were an international multi-sport event held from July 17 to August 1, 1976, in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Montreal ...

Montreal Montreal is the List of towns in Quebec, largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec, the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-largest in Canada, and the List of North American cit ...

Professional career

Washington Bullets (1976–1981)

Kupchak was drafted by the

in 1976 and was named to the

NBA All-Rookie Team The NBA All-Rookie Team is an annual National Basketball Association (NBA) honor given since the 1962–63 NBA season to the top rookies during the regular season. Voting is conducted by the NBA head coaches who are not allowed to vote for play ...

. He had four productive seasons with Washington and was part of the team that won the

NBA championship The NBA Finals is the annual championship series of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The Eastern Conference (NBA), Eastern and Western Conference (NBA), Western Conference champions play a best-of-seven series to determine the league ...

in 1978.

Los Angeles Lakers (1981–1986)

He signed a long-term contract with the Lakers in 1981 at the behest of Earvin "Magic" Johnson, who told owner Jerry Buss, "If we could get Mitch Kupchak, I know we could win", after the team's playoff upset. 26 games into the season, Kupchak injured his knee and did not play again until the 1983–84 season. Kupchak played a key role in the Showtime Lakers' 1985 championship team against the Boston Celtics, who had intimidated them in the prior year's Finals. Kupchak retired after the 1985–86 season, having played 510 regular season and 68 playoff games, with regular season averages of 10.2 points per game and 5.4 rebounds per game (7.7 points per game and 4.7 rebounds per game in the playoffs). During his final game, Game 5 of the Western Conference Finals, a brawl broke out between the Lakers and the

Houston Rockets The Houston Rockets are an American professional basketball team based in Houston. The Rockets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southwest Division (NBA), Southwest Division of the Western Conference (NBA) ...

, which saw Kupchak and

Hakeem Olajuwon Hakeem Abdul Olajuwon ( ; ; born January 21, 1963), nicknamed "the Dream", is a Nigerian and American former professional basketball player. From 1984 to 2002, he played Center (basketball), center in the National Basketball Association (NB ...

ejected.

Executive career

Los Angeles Lakers (1986–2017)

Kupchak planned for his "life after" being an NBA player and pursued a focused program to learn the trade of running NBA team operations. While still under his initial player contract, he worked with the front office, developing strong working relationships with Laker management, beginning to "apprentice" with Jerry West, and starting studies that led to his

MBA A Master of Business Administration (MBA) is a professional degree focused on business administration. The core courses in an MBA program cover various areas of business administration; elective courses may allow further study in a particular a ...

from the UCLA Anderson School of Management in 1987. Kupchak retired from playing in 1986, and became the Lakers' assistant general manager (under GM and

Basketball Hall of Fame The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame is an American history museum and hall of fame, located at 1000 Hall of Fame Avenue in Springfield, Massachusetts. It serves as basketball's most complete library, in addition to promoting and pres ...

Jerry West Jerry Alan West (May 28, 1938 – June 12, 2024) was an American basketball player and executive. He played professionally for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA), and is widely regarded as one of the greatest ...

). He later succeeded West as General Manager, but was not considered to have all of the traditional powers of an NBA GM until 2000 (when West resigned as Vice President of Basketball Operations, for the challenge of trying to replicate the Lakers' level of success as GM of the recently relocated, last-place

Memphis Grizzlies The Memphis Grizzlies (referred to locally as the Grizz) are an American professional basketball team based in Memphis, Tennessee. The Grizzlies compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southwest Division of the ...

). On July 16, 2003, after the Lakers failed to reach the NBA Finals for the first time in three years, Kupchak's first major deal was the off-season acquisitions of superstars

Karl Malone Karl Anthony Malone (born July 24, 1963) is an American former professional basketball player in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Nicknamed "the Mailman", he is considered one of the greatest power forwards in NBA history. Malone spen ...

and

Gary Payton Gary Dwayne Payton Sr. (born July 23, 1968) is an American former professional basketball player who was a point guard in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Widely considered one of the greatest point guards of all time, he is best know ...

. After a number of controversial trade transactions over the years, including the trade of

Shaquille O'Neal Shaquille Rashaun O'Neal ( ; born March 6, 1972), commonly known as Shaq ( ), is an American former professional basketball player who is a sports analyst on the television program ''Inside the NBA''. He is a and Center (basketball), center ...

to the

Miami Heat The Miami Heat are an American professional basketball team based in Miami. The Heat compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southeast Division (NBA), Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), Eastern C ...

for

Lamar Odom Lamar Joseph Odom (born November 6, 1979) is an American former professional basketball player. As a member of the Los Angeles Lakers in the National Basketball Association (NBA), he won NBA Finals, championships in 2009 and 2010 and was named ...

, Caron Butler, and

Brian Grant Brian Wade Grant (born March 5, 1972) is an American former professional basketball player. He played the power forward (basketball), power forward and Center (basketball), center positions for five teams during 12 seasons in the National Basket ...

—as well as the decision not to trade young center Andrew Bynum for point guard

Jason Kidd Jason Frederick Kidd (born March 23, 1973) is an American professional basketball coach and former player who is the List of current NBA head coaches, head coach for the Dallas Mavericks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Widely regar ...

—Kupchak faced severe criticism from Lakers franchise star

Kobe Bryant Kobe Bean Bryant ( ; August 23, 1978 – January 26, 2020) was an American professional basketball player. A shooting guard, he List of NBA players who have spent their entire career with one franchise, spent his entire 20-year career with t ...

, who urged his firing. However, Kupchak reportedly still had the support of the team's owner. In 2007, Kupchak traded Brian Cook and Maurice Evans for

Trevor Ariza Trevor Anthony Ariza (born June 30, 1985) is an American former professional basketball player who spent 18 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). A small forward, Ariza played college basketball for one season with the UCLA Bruins ...

, and the Lakers started the season off with the best record in the West. After an injury to Andrew Bynum cast their recent success in doubt, his February 2008 deal to obtain Spanish power forward Pau Gasol from the

for Kwame Brown, Javaris Crittenton, Aaron McKie, and draft picks (one of which was the right to

Marc Gasol Marc Gasol Sáez (, ; born 29 January 1985) is a Spanish former professional basketball player who is the president of Bàsquet Girona of the Liga ACB. The Center (basketball), center is a two-time All-NBA Team member and a three-time NBA All-St ...

) earned him praise (and scorn) from league insiders and fans alike. Bryant later conceded, "He goes from a F to an A-plus.", while

Gregg Popovich Gregg Charles Popovich (born January 28, 1949) is an American professional basketball executive and former coach who is the president for the San Antonio Spurs of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He was the List of current NBA head co ...

, coach of Western Conference rival

San Antonio Spurs The San Antonio Spurs are an American professional basketball team based in San Antonio. The Spurs compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southwest Division (NBA), Southwest Division of the Western Conference (NBA ...

, went so far as to argue that "there should be a trade committee that can scratch all trades that make no sense". That year, the Lakers reached the NBA Finals for the 5th time in 9 years, but would eventually lose to the Boston Celtics. The following year, they returned and won in a 4–1 rout over the

Orlando Magic The Orlando Magic are an American professional basketball team based in Orlando, Florida. The Magic compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southeast Division (NBA), Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference (NB ...

. In 2009, Kupchak signed 2004 Defensive Player of the Year

Ron Artest Metta Sandiford-Artest (born Ronald William Artest Jr., November 13, 1979), previously legally named Metta World Peace, is an American former professional basketball player who played 19 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Un ...

, famous for his role in the Pacers-Pistons Brawl, as a free agent. The Lakers made it to their seventh NBA Finals in 11 years, winning in a championship re-match against the Celtics in the 2010 NBA Finals. 2011 saw the retirement of longtime coach Phil Jackson, replacing him with Mike Brown, as well as an attempted three-team trade of Odom and Gasol to the

, in exchange for the

New Orleans Hornets New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz * ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 ** "New" (Paul McCartney song), 2013 * ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator, 1995 * "New" (Daya song), 2017 * "New" (No Doubt song), 1 ...

' All-Star point guard, Chris Paul Because the Hornets (a financial failure for its previous owners) was still owned by the NBA, Commissioner

David Stern David Joel Stern (September 22, 1942 – January 1, 2020) was an American lawyer and business executive who was the commissioner of the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 1984 to 2014. Stern oversaw NBA basketball's growth into one of t ...

vetoed the trade for unspecified "basketball reasons"—leaving the Lakers with a publicly disgruntled Odom, and shocked Gasol (both of whom intended to end their careers as Lakers, and had not known that they were about to be traded). On July 4, 2012, after two consecutive playoff exits in the Western Conference semi-final round, Kupchak used a traded player exception (gained by trading Odom to the

Dallas Mavericks The Dallas Mavericks (often referred to as the Mavs) are an American professional basketball team based in Dallas. The Mavericks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southwest Division (NBA), Southwest Divisi ...

) on two-time, former NBA Most Valuable Player, Steve Nash. The deal to get Nash in a Laker uniform was finalized for a package of future draft picks and cash considerations. That same summer, Kupchak dealt Andrew Bynum, who had just been voted to his first All-Star team, in a four-way trade for his Eastern Conference counterpart, three-time Defensive Player of the Year Dwight Howard. The move was announced August 10, 2012. But the flurry of personnel changes did not stop there: Kupchak had also convinced former All-Star and Sixth Man of the Year winner Antawn Jamison to sign for a veteran-minimum contract. He later, along with owner Jerry Buss and Vice President of Basketball Operations Jim Buss (Jerry's son), also fired defense-minded head coach Mike Brown and replaced him with Nash's former head coach, offense-minded

Mike D'Antoni Michael Andrew D'Antoni (born May 8, 1951) is an American-Italian professional basketball coach and former player who most recently served as a coaching advisor for the New Orleans Pelicans of the National Basketball Association (NBA). While h ...

. During the 2013–14 season, Kupchak and the Lakers gave

a 2-year, $48.5 million extension despite his being out due to an Achilles injury. The deal was reportedly endorsed by team president Jeanie Buss. D'Antoni resigned as coach of the Lakers after the team declined to pick up their option for him to coach in 2015–16, leaving Kupchak and Jim Buss the task of hiring a third coach in four years. They decided on former Lakers guard

Byron Scott Byron Antom Scott (born March 28, 1961) is an American former professional basketball player and head coach in the National Basketball Association (NBA). As a role player, Scott won three NBA championships with the Los Angeles Lakers during the ...

. The Lakers announced in April 2014 that Kupchak's own contract had been extended for multiple years. It was scheduled to expire after the 2014 season. Terms of the contract were not released. On February 21, 2017, Kupchak was fired as general manager of the Lakers.

Charlotte Hornets (2018–present)

On April 8, 2018, Kupchak was hired as the president of basketball operations and general manager of the

. On June 21, 2018, Kupchak made his first draft selection as the general manager of the Charlotte Hornets. He selected

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Shaivonte Aician Gilgeous-Alexander ( ; born July 12, 1998), also known by his initials SGA, is a Canadian professional basketball player for the Oklahoma City Thunder of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played one year of college ...

with the 11th pick, who was subsequently traded to the

Los Angeles Clippers The Los Angeles Clippers are an American professional basketball team based in the Greater Los Angeles area. The Clippers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference. The ...

for Miles Bridges, who was selected with the 12th pick. On February 12, 2024, Kupchak stepped down from his position atop the basketball operations hierarchy and transitioned into an advisory role upon the hire of former Nets assistant GM Jeff Peterson.

Personal life

Kupchak was inducted into the Suffolk Sports Hall of Fame on Long Island in the Basketball Category with the Class of 1990. In 2002, he was inducted into the National Polish-American Sports Hall of Fame. In 2022 he divorced from his wife Claire, with whom he had two children. His daughter, Alina Claire Kupchak, died on January 5, 2015, after a lengthy illness. His son Maxwell played as a forward for the

UC Santa Barbara The University of California, Santa Barbara (UC Santa Barbara or UCSB) is a public land-grant research university in Santa Barbara County, California, United States. Tracing its roots back to 1891 as an independent teachers college, UCSB joined ...

basketball team.

Career playing statistics

NBA

Source

Regular season

, - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", Washington , 82 , , , , 18.5 , , .572 , , , , .679 , , 6.0 , , .8 , , .3 , , .4 , , 10.4 , - , style="text-align:left;background:#afe6ba;", † , style="text-align:left;", Washington , 67 , , , , 26.3 , , .512 , , , , .697 , , 6.9 , , 1.1 , , .4 , , .6 , , 15.9 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", Washington , 66 , , , , 24.3 , , .539 , , , , .743 , , 6.5 , , 1.3 , , .3 , , .3 , , 14.6 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", Washington , 40 , , , , 11.3 , , .419 , , .000 , , .693 , , 2.6 , , .4 , , .2 , , .2 , , 4.7 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", Washington , 82 , , , , 23.6 , , .525 , , .000 , , .706 , , 6.9 , , .8 , , .4 , , .3 , , 12.5 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", L.A. Lakers , 26 , , 26 , , 31.6 , , .573 , , – , , .663 , , 8.1 , , 1.3 , , .5 , , .4 , , 14.3 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", L.A. Lakers , 34 , , 3 , , 9.5 , , .380 , , .000 , , .647 , , 2.6 , , .2 , , .1 , , .2 , , 3.1 , - , style="text-align:left;background:#afe6ba;", † , style="text-align:left;", L.A. Lakers , 58 , , 3 , , 12.3 , , .504 , , – , , .659 , , 3.2 , , .4 , , .3 , , .3 , , 5.3 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", L.A. Lakers , 55 , , 0 , , 14.2 , , .482 , , .000 , , .750 , , 3.5 , , .3 , , .2 , , .1 , , 6.0 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 510 , , 32 , , 19.4 , , .523 , , .000 , , .704 , , 5.4 , , .7 , , .3 , , .3 , , 10.2

Playoffs

, - , style="text-align:left;",

1977 Events January * January 8 – 1977 Moscow bombings, Three bombs explode in Moscow within 37 minutes, killing seven. The bombings are attributed to an Armenian separatist group. * January 10 – Mount Nyiragongo erupts in eastern Zaire (no ...

, style="text-align:left;", Washington , 9 , , , , 28.0 , , .589 , , , , .678 , , 7.6 , , 1.1 , , .2 , , .3 , , 16.2 , - , style="text-align:left;background:#afe6ba;",

1978 Events January * January 1 – Air India Flight 855, a Boeing 747 passenger jet, crashes off the coast of Bombay, killing 213. * January 5 – Bülent Ecevit, of Republican People's Party, CHP, forms the new government of Turkey (42nd ...

† , style="text-align:left;", Washington , 21 , , , , 24.0 , , .422 , , , , .652 , , 6.0 , , 1.0 , , .2 , , .1 , , 10.1 , - , style="text-align:left;",

1979 Events January * January 1 ** United Nations Secretary-General Kurt Waldheim heralds the start of the ''International Year of the Child''. Many musicians donate to the ''Music for UNICEF Concert'' fund, among them ABBA, who write the song ...

, style="text-align:left;", Washington , 8 , , , , 17.1 , , .404 , , , , .667 , , 4.3 , , .4 , , .3 , , .0 , , 6.5 , - , style="text-align:left;",

1984 Events January * January 1 – The Bornean Sultanate of Brunei gains full independence from the United Kingdom, having become a British protectorate in 1888. * January 7 – Brunei becomes the sixth member of the Association of Southeas ...

, style="text-align:left;", L.A. Lakers , 9 , , , , 7.7 , , .294 , , – , , .571 , , 3.2 , , .2 , , .1 , , .2 , , 2.0 , - , style="text-align:left;",

1985 The year 1985 was designated as the International Youth Year by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 ** The Internet's Domain Name System is created. ** Greenland withdraws from the European Economic Community as a result of a n ...

, style="text-align:left;", L.A. Lakers , 16 , , 0 , , 12.3 , , .585 , , .000 , , .591 , , 3.0 , , .3 , , .1 , , .4 , , 4.7 , - , style="text-align:left;", 1986 , style="text-align:left;", L.A. Lakers , 5 , , 0 , , 11.2 , , .533 , , – , , .667 , , 3.0 , , .4 , , .4 , , .0 , , 4.0 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 68 , , 0 , , 17.9 , , .474 , , .000 , , .649 , , 4.7 , , .6 , , .2 , , .2 , , 7.7

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kupchak, Mitch 1954 births Living people All-American college men's basketball players American men's basketball players American people of Polish descent Basketball players at the 1976 Summer Olympics Basketball players from Nassau County, New York Brentwood High School (Brentwood, New York) alumni Centers (basketball) Charlotte Hornets executives Los Angeles Lakers executives Los Angeles Lakers players Medalists at the 1976 Summer Olympics NBA general managers North Carolina Tar Heels men's basketball players Olympic gold medalists for the United States in basketball Sportspeople from Hicksville, New York Power forwards UCLA Anderson School of Management alumni United States men's national basketball team players Washington Bullets draft picks Washington Bullets players 20th-century American sportsmen