Anthony Davis was ‘not on board’ with Darvin Ham

Anthony Davis quieted his critics in 2023-24, playing the most games of his 12-year NBA career. Despite his strong season, the Los Angeles Lakers fell well short of their championship goals. Their postseason lasted just five games, falling to the Denver Nuggets in the first round. Soon after being eliminated, the organization fired head coach Darvin Ham.

The nine-time All-Star played a role in the decision, according to Sam Amick of The Athletic. Speaking on The Rich Eisen Show, the senior NBA writer stated (at the 3:48 mark):

When they chose to fire Darvin Ham, I was told that one of the many, many considerations was it was pretty evident that AD was not on board anymore with Darvin and they know, like everybody else, that AD has a history of having asked for trades in the past.

That’s how he got to the Lakers from New Orleans. Last thing they wanted was for AD to be frustrated with the situation and maybe have those types of thoughts cross his mind.

Davis signed a three-year, $186 million contract extension last season. He has four years and $239 million remaining on his contract. The 2020 NBA champion averaged 24.7 points, 12.6 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 1.2 steals and 2.3 blocks per game. He shot 55.6% from the field and 81.6% from the free-throw line.

Anthony Davis will play a role in the Los Angeles Lakers coaching search

It was widely expected that LeBron James’ opinion will be considered during the Los Angeles Lakers coaching search. His voice will not be the only one heard, according to Dave McMenamin of ESPN. Speaking on SportsCenter, he reported that Anthony Davis will also play a role in the ongoing coaching search, stating:

Of course LeBron James’ opinion will be taken into consideration, but not just LeBron James. Anthony Davis as well I’m told. And the team kind of looks as Anthony Davis finally taking the torch from LeBron in the last season-and-a-half.

While LeBron can still have the time to process the end of this season as he decides his future with the team, they have another voice and another leader in Anthony Davis whose opinion they will take under consideration.

The Lakers have reportedly gotten permission to interview at least five assistant coaches – David Adelman, James Borrego, Sam Cassell, Micah Nori, and Chris Quinn. Former NBA player and current ESPN analyst JJ Redick is also expected to be a serious candidate for the position. The 15-year veteran hosts the Mind the Game podcast with LeBron James. It is unclear which candidate Davis prefers to take the realm.

Joined SVP to discuss the direction the Lakers coaching search appears to be heading in, in terms of the initial concept, and the factor LeBron and AD have in the search. pic.twitter.com/QUCR6AWZ4r

— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) May 4, 2024

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