What A Shocking Thing to Say: LeBron James Clarify Himself on the Notion of Disrespecting Darvin Ham his Head Coach: He Said and I Quote I…
LeBron James claims that Darvin Ham instructed him to foul, call a timeout, and then replace himself. On Sunday night, LeBron James went viral for seemingly disliking his head coach, Darvin Ham. After purposefully fouling Scoot Henderson in the fourth quarter of the Los Angeles Lakers’ 134-110 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers, James took a timeout to replace himself. James stated that he was just following directions when the video went viral.
“No, I didn’t.” I was told by DHam to foul and then contact a TO. He was filling in for me. Put an end to the nonsense!” LeBron did well to stand up and protect Ham in this instance. Without that background information, the video did seem to suggest that he was losing control of the locker room and wasn’t making as many decisions. The 39-year-old usually stays silent on these matters, but in this case, he felt compelled to speak up.
The post was removed as a result of LeBron’s remark as well. Watch the video below to see him signaling a timeout and substituting for himself with the Lakers led 120-97. James’ clarification in this instance may also imply that any rumors of a breach between them are somewhat exaggerated. Despite the Lakers’ 22–22 record this season, Ham has faced criticism, with calls for his dismissal seeming to get louder every day.
According to this specific NBA writer’s well-informed assessment, he would not have lost (against the Clippers) on Sunday and would not have been fired. And it was long after the game ended, before talking to Ham about the circumstances. However, as he revealed in an interview with The Athletic, there’s an important element at work here that shouldn’t be overlooked: Even though Ham still has problems to fix in his locker room and throughout Laker Land, owner Jeanie Buss is still behind him.”
Ultimately, what matters most is Buss’s backing. Regardless of what the players or even the fans may think, Ham will continue as head coach as long as she doesn’t think anything needs to change.