The Los Angeles Lakers hired Darvin Ham as their head coach in 2022. Under his leadership, the team made the playoffs twice and reached the Western Conference Finals in 2023. However, after losing in the first round to the Denver Nuggets in the 2023-2024 playoffs, the Lakers decided to part ways with Ham.
Nearly a year later, former NBA star Gilbert Arenas shared his thoughts on why LeBron James and Darvin Ham struggled to work together during their time as a team. He broke down this thought recently on his podcast.
After making history as the Bucks’ assistant coach, Darvin Ham felt frustrated that LeBron James’ team didn’t give him enough credit. This led Gilbert Arenas to speak out, saying Ham and LeBron were always going to struggle together.
On his podcast, “Gil’s Arena,” he explained, “We’re just going to be honest; your star player’s probably smarter than you, right? And the fact that your star player is smarter than you, that’s a hard job to have. Like, you literally have to talk to LeBron’s ego. Like, I got to talk to his basketball. For him to accept you, it’s like talking to some genius.”
LeBron and Darvin Ham were destined to fail 📉 pic.twitter.com/YDje0EhPfX
— Gilbert Arenas (@GilsArenaShow) December 22, 2024
Meanwhile, JJ Redick has a good relationship with LeBron James. Gilbert pointed out, “What makes JJ smarter than Darvin Ham? Sitting there having a conversation with him. So that means something that JJ was saying resonated with, with, with, you know, it’s just like art.”
LeBron James could miss Lakers’ game vs Pistons
The Los Angeles Lakers aren’t sure if LeBron James will play in their next game against the Detroit Pistons because of a left foot injury. LeBron has been playing despite the injury, but it’s still unclear if he’ll play on Monday.
Lakers list Anthony Davis and LeBron James as questionable for tomorrow against the Pistons pic.twitter.com/qTeoZoxCXv
— Trevor Lane (@Trevor_Lane) December 23, 2024
ESPN’s Dave McMenamin reports that both LeBron and Anthony Davis are listed as questionable. The Lakers’ medical team is closely monitoring Davis’ left elbow injury and LeBron’s foot injury, which caused him to miss a week earlier this month. A final decision will be made closer to game time.
