LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers are in search of a new head coach following the firing of Darvin Ham. Los Angeles’ decision to move off Ham after two seasons came following a first-round exit in the NBA Playoffs.
The 2023-24 season was drama-filled between Ham and the Lakers’ veteran-laden roster. A major disconnect took hold late in the regular season and in the playoffs, leading to his ousting.
As for James, he’s going to opt out of his contract and hit NBA free agency this summer. While there is a widespread belief that James will return to the Lakers, other factors are also in play.
In particular, James wants a better understanding of the Lakers’ plans for a roster that underperformed big time a season ago. D’Angelo Russell will join James in hitting free agency. Meanwhile, there is now some talk that Los Angeles could use fellow guard Austin Reaves as trade bait to find a third star with King James and Anthony Davis.
As for the Lakers’ head coach search, former NBA player JJ Redick has emerged as a leading candidate for the job. It’s surprising in that Redick has no prior coaching experience. He’s more of a media personality and is set to debut a podcast with James. Hence, the connection.
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LeBron James has no input in Los Angeles Lakers’ head coach search
In what has to be considered a surprising new report on the Lakers’ head coach search, Shams Charania of The Athletic notes that James has no input. He’s not involved in the search at all.
“I’m told LeBron James is not involved in the Lakers head coaching search. James has made it clear that this is the organization’s decision, he’s had no conversions with the Lakers about JJ Redick,’ Charania reported on Monday.
There has been a widely held belief that James would be involved in looking for a Ham replacement. After all, he has had his hand in coaching decisions throughout his Hall of Fame-worthy career.
Whether this most-recent report tells us a story of James considering other options ahead of free agency remains to be seen. You’d think he would want to be involved.