The Los Angeles Lakers fired Darvin Ham on Friday after two seasons, and the speculation is that LeBron James had his fingerprints on the move.
It’s not the first time that’s been the notion regarding James and his former head coaches, but one ESPN host has had enough.
ESPN’s Michael Wilbon, on Friday’s edition of “Pardon the Interruption,” admitted that he may be biased because of his personal relationship with Ham, but his points were salient.
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LeBron James, #23, and Head Coach Darvin Ham of the Los Angeles Lakers talk during the game against the Philadelphia 76ers on November 27, 2023, at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images))
“You know what? I’m angry. I’ve known Darvin Ham for a long time,” Wilbon began. “He’s a great guy, and he’s a pretty damn good coach. He took a team that had done nothing the year before, and missed the playoffs, and then last year they got to the conference finals with him, and everybody had praise for him — including LeBron and Anthony Davis. And now, all of a sudden the two of them blame him….
“Let me just say this: If you [LeBron] want to be the GOAT, and you want to tell everybody you’re the greatest player of all time, then take accountability like one. Do that!”
Wilbon said that James has taken some accountability, but “there hasn’t been nearly enough.”
Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James, left, asks head coach Darvin Ham for a replay review after he was called for a foul during the second half in Game 4 of an NBA basketball first-round playoff series Saturday, April 27, 2024, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
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“If you’re the GOAT, you do that. You don’t blame this cryptically or backhandedly on Darvin Ham. I don’t want to hear from anybody in a Laker uniform that the primary problem was Darvin Ham. Yes, LeBron and Anthony Davis were great in that series, but they weren’t good enough against Denver, so take that on. GOAT carries responsibility.”
After making the conference finals last year, the Lakers lost to the Denver Nuggets, the same team that eliminated them in 2023, in the first round of this season’s NBA playoffs earlier this week.
Head coach Darvin Ham of the Los Angeles Lakers watches his team warm up before the game against the Brooklyn Nets at Crypto.com Arena on January 19, 2024, in Los Angeles, California. (Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)
Los Angeles earned the seventh seed with their 47-35 record and win in the play-in tournament.
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