James — generally seen as a diva, concurrent to his greatness — is reportedly becoming a nuisance, seen rolling his eyes at Ham’s instructions and often overruling the coach’s directions, advising his teammates to ignore Ham.

“He sits in the huddle and gets his rest/water, rolls his eyes as Ham speaks, and waits for the huddle to break,” noted Lakers Daily’s Anthony Irwin. “If Ham ever does draw up a play, as soon as the huddle breaks, James will tell everyone else on the court with him ‘f**k all that’ and calls a play of his own.”

James typically had a hand in dictating who his coach was in his later years, so watching him turn his back on Ham, after just two years, showcases that James is more interested in flexing power than cultivating a winning culture.

Aside from his Mickey Mouse championship from the 2020 season, James’ tenure in LA has been less than stellar. He holds a 190-139 record as a member of the Lakers but frequently finds himself trying to dig out of the bottom half of Western Conference standings. The Lakers are currently 10th in the West at 33-29.

There’s more blame worth assigning to the Lakers’ front office, whose ineptitude with forming a roster around James puts more onus on the 39-year-old to play heavy minutes to shoulder a losing squad. Relying on an undrafted Austin Reaves as a No. 3 option or giving heavy minutes to Taurean Prince lands far from a championship or playoff-caliber team. But that’s where the front office left the Lakers.

DECEMBER 7: Player LeBron James (23) of Los Angeles Lakers speaks at the press conference after the NBA In-Season Tournament Semifinals game between Los Angeles Lakers and New Orleans Pelicans at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, United States on December 7, 2023.

 

LeBron James #23  and Head Coach Darvin Ham of the Los Angeles Lakers looks on during the game against the New Orleans Pelicans on February 9, 2024 at Crypto.Com Arena in Los Angeles, California.

To be fair, Ham’s inability to glue together a consistent rotation also has The King and Lakers fans skeptical of his coaching abilities. More times than not, Ham also acts like a LeBron fan rather than his coach.

LA’s problems are deep-seated, and James grows antsy to see change at the coaching level, even if it’ll set the franchise back another step.