Getty Head coach Darvin Ham of the Los Angeles Lakers.
The exchange between Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James and Houston Rockets head coach Ime Udoka stole the show in what was a much-needed victory for the Lakers. But, if the latter thought the issue was going to go away, Lakers head coach Darvin Ham had other ideas.
“There ain’t no crying b****** over here,” Ham said, per ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne who relayed the message on “NBA Today” on December 4. “Tell him Saginaw said so.”
“Saginaw” is a reference to Ham’s hometown and the place he says molded him.
James confronted Udoka over the latter’s use of some unsavory language towards the Lakers. Udoka felt the Lakers were complaining too much. The Lakers star suggested the Rockets head coach pull back on his use of the word. To that, Udoka responded by doubling down on his sentiments and aiming them at James.
LEAKED Audio Of Ime Udoka Trash Talking LeBron James👀:
Udoka: “Stop crying like b*tches, man”
LeBron: “We’re all grown men, that b*tch word ain’t cool”
Udoka: “Soft a** boy, stop b*tching. Acting like you’re gonna do something”
The Lakers went on to win 107-97. Neither James nor Udoka clarified what happened during the incident. Udoka said the officials didn’t like what they heard during the exchange. James said the two men were discussing their love for Thanksgiving.
Dillon Brooks Blames Refs for LeBron James-Ime Udoka
Rockets wing Dillon Brooks is a known James agitator. He called out the officiating crew for the situation escalating to the point and ejecting both James and Udoka.
According to Brooks, the refs “lost control of the game”.
“I tried to push LeBron away from it. The refs just let it get out of hand. A terrible group out there that was reffing, and they lost control of the game, and it was very inconsistent,” Brooks said, per Adam Spolane of Sports Radio 610 on December 4. “That’s what you get from inconsistent refs, it’s a whole bunch of nonsense.”
Rockets F Dillon Brooks on incident vs. Lakers Saturday that resulted in Ime Udoka getting T’d up and ejected after exchanging words with LeBron:
This was the third meeting between the two teams. The Lakers are up 2-1 in the series this season. They will meet for their fourth and final matchup coming at the end of January amid a six-game road trip for Los Angeles.
Even though the meeting is still nearly two months away, and plenty will happen there are sure to be some fireworks on both sides.
Darvin Ham: Lakers ‘Haven’t Been Whole’
The Lakers have won three of their last five games. They have also won nine of their last 13 outings, including a pair of short winning streaks. It all comes as they are getting key parts of their rotation back healthy. That includes Jarred Vanderbilt – who made his season debut against the Rockets – and Rui Hachimura. Ham says Hachumura is also close to returning.
“I mean, we haven’t been whole,” Ham said after the Lakers’ loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder on November 30, per Jovan Buha of The Athletic on December 2.
Ham began the season touting the Lakers’ depth and has had to lean on it heavily.
“You have to continuously just be ready to have plan B-Z sometimes,” Ham said. “We know we have the pieces that once we do get everybody where they’re supposed to be physically, we’ll be able to make a ton of headway in terms of how we continue to progress through the season.”
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Lakers’ Darvin Ham Claps Back at Rockets’ Ime Udoka: ‘Saginaw Said So’