Getty Lakers star LeBron James
LeBron James will play for his third head coach on the Los Angeles Lakers next season since joining the franchise in 2018. Frank Vogel was fired on April 11 and the Lakers have interviewed Darvin Ham, Terry Stotts and Kenny Atkinson.
According to Shams Charania and Sam Amick of The Athletic, Ham “appears to have made the strongest impression” on the Lakers. The former NBA player served as an assistant with the organization from 2011 to 2013.
Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report reported on May 20 that James wants the Lakers to hire Ham. Since James came to the Lakers in the summer of 2018, vice president of basketball operations and general manager Rob Pelinka has referred to the King as a “stakeholder.”
Along with Ham, Stotts and Atkinson, the Lakers have been linked to Philadelphia 76ers head coach Doc Rivers. Sixers president of basketball operations Daryl Morey said Rivers would be back next season, but the Lakers haven’t abandoned internal hope of Rivers becoming available this offseason, according to Marc Stein of Substack.
However, it’s worth mentioning that Austin Krell of The Painted Lines is hearing that James doesn’t want the Lakers to hire Rivers.
Source close to Klutch Sports indicated to @ThePaintedLines that, despite recent reporting, Doc Rivers is not thought to be LeBron James’ choice for Lakers.
Rivers was named one of the 15 greatest coaches in NBA history this year. However, he hasn’t reached the conference finals since leaving the Boston Celtics in 2013.
Rivers Has Struggled in the Playoffs Since Leaving Boston
Rivers has made the playoffs eight times with the Los Angeles Clippers and Sixers following his Celtics stint. However, his teams have struggled in the postseason.
According to Arash Markazi, Rivers has lost six playoff series after being up 3-2 and three postseason series after being up 3-1. He’s the only coach in NBA history to blow three 3-1 series leads in the playoffs.
Rivers also holds the record for most Game 7 losses with eight, per HoopsHype. The Lakers are better off hiring Ham, Stotts or Atkinson since Rivers has a track record of failing in the postseason.
James Is Confident Lakers Will Make Good Choices This Summer
James told reporters during his exit interview on April 11 that he’s confident the Lakers will make good choices this summer. Los Angeles fired Vogel after the team went 33-49 in 2021-22.
“I think the front office will do whatever it takes to help this ballclub become a better ballclub from top to bottom,” James said. “Ask me my opinion, I’m going to give my opinion. But at the end of the day, they’re going to make the decision that they feel is best for the franchise.”
James is eligible to sign a two-year, $97 million extension with the Lakers this offseason. If he chooses not to sign an extension, LBJ would become an unrestricted free agent in the summer of 2023.
The Lakers have missed the playoffs twice, lost in the first round and won a championship since James came to Los Angeles in 2018. The Chosen One is averaging 27.0 points, 8.0 rebounds and 8.2 assists in 223 regular-season games with the Lakers.
James, who will turn 38 in December 2022, remains committed to winning another championship with the Lakers.
“I came here to win a championship. And I want to win more. So I accomplished what I wanted to accomplish, but I’m still hungry for more,” James said during his exit interview. “I’m confident that this organization wants the same. That’s what this organization has always been about. … So I’ve done that. We’ve done that. But I want to do it again.”