For much of the 2023-24 season, it seemed as if both LeBron James and Anthony Davis weren’t all that happy with then-Los Angeles Lakers head coach Darvin Ham. There were quite a few instances where the two superstars publicly appeared to express their frustration with him, and a video recently went viral that showed how broken the relationship was.
This video wild💀 pic.twitter.com/Y7hjtSpaAs
— Lakers Empire (@LakersEmpire) June 23, 2024
Of all the instances there, the most significant one for me was Davis’ comments after Game 2 against the Denver Nuggets in the first round of the playoffs. The Lakers had just blown a 20-point lead to go down 2-0 against the Nuggets and the 31-year-old was asked how they could extend that series.
In response, Davis took a shot at Ham by stating there were stretches during the games where the team didn’t know what they were doing on both ends of the floor. It is obviously the coaching staff’s job to ensure the players always know how to react to various situations on the court, so that wasn’t a good look for them.
The moment Davis said it, you got the feeling there was tension behind the scenes. Meanwhile, reports also indicated LeBron was reportedly not happy with Ham during the Lakers’ mid-season struggles. He never made a public statement like Davis, but it seemed pretty obvious what his feelings were toward his head coach.
When both the superstars aren’t fans of you, the writing is pretty much on the wall. Ham was fired on May 3, 2024, just days after the Nuggets eliminated the Lakers in five games.
The Lakers Reportedly Fired Darvin Ham Because Of Concerns Surrounding Anthony Davis
There were quite a few reasons why the Lakers decided to move on from Ham, but a big one was reportedly that troubled relationship with his star big man. It was revealed that Davis’ unhappiness with Ham played a role in his firing.
“When they chose to fire Darvin Ham, I was told that one of the many, many considerations was that it was pretty evident that AD was not on board anymore with Darvin and they know, like everybody else, that AD has a history of having asked for trades in the past. That’s how he got to the Lakers from New Orleans,” said NBA insider Sam Amick. “The last thing they wanted was for AD to be frustrated with the situation.”
I think that was a valid concern. With the 39-year-old LeBron nearing the end of his career, the last thing the Lakers want to do is alienate Davis in any way. If Ham had done a fabulous coaching job, they might have found it difficult to fire him, but he didn’t put them in that situation.
After making it all the way to the Western Conference Finals in 2023, expectations were high for the Lakers entering the 2023-24 campaign. The team didn’t come anywhere close to living up to them, as they were the seventh seed in the West with a 47-35 record.
A deep playoff run like the year before could have saved Ham, but the Lakers were knocked out in the first round and it was all over for him after that. The Lakers hired JJ Redick as his replacement and the former NBA player hopefully will have a better relationship with Davis.
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