LeBron James

For new Los Angeles Lakers head coach Darvin Ham, righting the ship for the embattled franchise requires swift and decisive actions, and one of the first moves on the agenda is apparently hitting the reset button on who'll be working alongside him behind the bench.

According to ESPN's Dave McMenamin and Adrian Wojnarowski, Ham informed assistants David Fizdale, Mike Penberthy and John Lucas III on Tuesday that their services will not be required for next season.

But not everyone from last year's coaching staff was given the pink slip.

Ham will reportedly keep assistant coaches Quinton Crawford and Phil Handy as he builds out his contingent holding clipboards.

"I like coaches that like to roll up their sleeves and are able to get out there," Ham said during his introductory news conference.

"Where I come from the last nine years, we did everything. We did player development. We did scouting. I had to step in as the head coach on a few occasions. But it was a team. It wasn't coordinators on either side of the ball. We all pitched in on all aspects of our team basketball offensively and defensively. So, I'm looking to build that similar type of staff."

To that end, the former player for the Detroit Pistons is also trying to hire former teammate Rasheed Wallace to join his staff.

The two were both a part of the Pistons' 2004 title team, and according to University of Memphis head coach Penny Hardaway, the pair had plans to work together as early as last year.

"That was the deal from the beginning," Hardaway told Jason Munz of the Memphis Commercial Appeal. "If Darvin had gotten a job last year, Rasheed had already promised him that he was going to go with him. So, I’m thinking this year, with him getting the Lakers job, (Wallace) might still be going along with that process."

Wallace was an assistant for Hardaway this past season and was a member of Detroit's coaching staff in 2013-14 after he retired as a player.

According to The Athletic's Shams Charania, though, the two sides "have not yet reached a formal contract stage."

Ham added that Wallace is definitely a candidate and that it's a "fluid situation" that he's working with Lakers' vice president of operations Rob Pelinka to bring to fruition.

Wallace was a four-time NBA All-Star in his playing career and garnered quite the reputation for getting technical fouls.

His "ball don't lie" refrain became infamous during that time, and the phrase has taken on a life of its own since then.

But he's also known for his basketball mind, which helped the Bad Boys win another title over the Lakers 18 years ago.

That's what former Laker Metta Sandiford-Artest wants Laker Nation to focus on.

"I think Rasheed is brilliant, smart," Sandiford-Artest told TMZ. "As good as it's going to come when you talk about a basketball brain."

Outside of what happens on the bench, the Lakers front office was concerned about how Ham would utilize Russell Westbrook to help him have the kind of bounce-back year that makes this past season a distant memory.

For his part, at the least, Wallace is in agreement with Ham that Westbrook is an elite player.

He made that known while the former MVP was playing for the Washington Wizards.

"Russ is the best player in the NBA right now," Wallace said while on ESPN's The Jump.

Lakers fans will have to wait and see if Wallace does actually sign a contract to join Ham in L.A., but they at least know that their new head coach has the freedom to pick his deputies and, from the looks of it, steer the ship in the direction he thinks it should go.

LeBron James has made a significant impact in the Akron, Ohio, community, but he's now taking his outreach efforts above and beyond with the construction of a new medical facility in the city where he grew up.

The LeBron James Family Foundation has announced it will build a multimillion-dollar I Promise HealthQuarters medical facility in Akron, Ohio, according to Craig Webb of the Akron Beacon Journal. The project is set to begin soon.

Students who attend James' I Promise school and their families, in addition to the Akron, Ohio, community, will have access to full medical, dental, optometry, mental health services and counseling services, according to Webb. It will also have on-site lab services and a reduced-cost pharmacy.

"It takes a village to help raise a kid and make a true difference," James wrote in a Twitter post announcing the medical facility. "Love my kids and their families!"

The LeBron James Family Foundation partnered with AxessPointe Community Health Partners to make the I Promise HealthQuarters facility become reality. They have been working on the $3 million-plus project for months.

"The greatest wealth for a community is good health," said Mark Frisone, executive director of AxessPointe. "The (LeBron James Family) Foundation understands this for the community."

In addition to AxessPointe, Coleman Health Services and Peg's Foundation will provide mental health services at the I Promise HealthQuarters. Peg's Foundation has been working with James' foundation for five years to offer mental health services who attend James' I Promise school.

The facility is set to open in 2023. It is one of a number of initiatives from James' foundation, whose mission states:

"With a commitment to redefining community and building strong families, The LeBron James Family Foundation invests its time, resources and passion into creating generational change for kids and families of James' hometown in Akron, Ohio through a focus on education and co-curricular educational initiatives."

In addition to the medical facility and I Promise School, the foundation has also opened House Three Thirty, which is a workforce training facility, and the I Promise Village, which provides transitional housing for families impacted by various challenges.

I Promise Housing offers long-term affordable housing, and the I Promise Institute at the University of Akron provides I Promise students with higher-education support.

LeBron James is once again flirting with the idea of teaming up with Stephen Curry.

In the preview trailer for the upcoming episode of The Shop, James said the Warriors are the one remaining playoff team he'd want to play for.

"It'd be Golden State. I would love getting into a pissing match with Draymond [Green]; I love when somebody cusses me out," James said.

The four-time MVP previously identified Curry as the one NBA player he'd want to play with.

"In today's game, s--t, there some motherf--kers in today's game, but Steph Curry," James said on The Shop. "Steph Curry is the one that I want to play with for sure in today's game. ... I love everything about that guy. Lethal. Steph, when he get out his car, you better guard him right from the moment he pulls up to the arena. Soon as he get out of his car, you better guard his ass."

Curry's response was one of thanks-but-no-thanks flattery.

"Well, he's got his wish," Curry said on 95.7 The Game (h/t NBC Sports). "When he's the captain, he's picked me the last two All-Star Games. I don't know if that suffices, but I'm good right now. Whenever you get the interest or curiosity of what it would be like to play with the MVP-caliber dude that he is, one of the greatest of all time, it's cool. That's amazing. We all can live in that fantasy world."

It's unclear when the most recent episode of The Shop was taped, so James' choices among the remaining teams were likely limited to two or four. In the event it was taped ahead of the NBA Finals, odds are James didn't want to alienate Lakers nation by saying he'd want to play for the rival Celtics.

Either way, it's clear there's at least part of LeBron that's intrigued by the idea of playing alongside Curry and trading competitive barbs with Green.

It's ultimately a pipe dream given the cap constraints and unprecedented fallout that would occur. That said, we've all dipped our toes into the fantasy-draft waters on 2K before; to say they'd be a force to be reckoned with together is an understatement.

New Los Angeles Lakers head coach Darvin Ham said he aims to take some pressure off the shoulders of LeBron James during the 2022-23 NBA season.

Ham explained during his introductory press conference Monday that "maintenance" for the entire roster will be important coming off an injury-plagued campaign, and that starts with helping the 37-year-old four-time MVP stay healthy.

"So that will be my No. 1 goal: to try to lessen some of the wear and tear on LeBron, because I feel like the level he's playing at is not going anywhere anytime soon," Ham told reporters. "So I just want to try to assist him with being able to sustain that level."

The Lakers are coming off a forgettable season in which they missed the playoffs with a 33-49 record after entering the year with championship-level expectations.

James (56 games played) and Anthony Davis (40) were both sidelined for a significant portion of the campaign, while Carmelo Anthony (69), Austin Reaves (61) and Talen Horton-Tucker (60) were among the role players to miss a chunk of the schedule.

Davis has played just 76 regular-season games over the past two seasons combined, and Ham noted seeing him on the floor more regularly is a key part of the equation alongside James and Russell Westbrook.

"LeBron is always going to be great; LeBron is going to be LeBron. Russ is going to be Russ. But we need consistency out of Anthony Davis," Ham said. "We need him to be healthy, we need him to be in a good mental space."

It's no coincidence that when Davis played 62 of L.A.'s 71 regular-season contests and all 21 of its playoff games in 2019-20, the franchise went on to capture a championship.

So, while the Lakers roster figures to receive a shake-up for the second straight summer, finding a way to keep their superstars on the floor will be the most important factor in returning to title contention next season.

That takes on added importance because 2022-23 is the last season of James' contract, and he's been dropping some not-so-subtle hints he may want to make other stops before the end of his legendary career.

In April, he named the Golden State Warriors' Stephen Curry as the one active NBA player he'd like to team up with, and he previously expressed his desire to finish his playing days on the same roster as his son, 2024 draft prospect Bronny James.

"My last year will be played with my son," James told Jason Lloyd of The Athletic in February. "Wherever Bronny is at, that's where I'll be. I would do whatever it takes to play with my son for one year. It's not about the money at that point."

Between this season's frustrations and James' uncertain future, it's unknown how much longer the Lakers' championship window will remain open.

In turn, there's an immediate sense of urgency for Ham to fix the team's problems and get L.A. back among the league's elite in his first year leading the staff.

LeBron James may be about to set a record in the trading card world.

A Panini Triple Logoman card of James could set the all-time record for a trading card at over $6.6 million at auction, according to TMZ Sports.

“The LeBron James Triple Logoman card is the undisputed holy grail of modern cards,” said Goldin Auctions founder Ken Goldin.

The card features logos from jerseys worn by James during his time with the Cleveland Cavaliers, Miami Heat and Los Angeles Lakers. Only five Triple Logoman cards were made overall and only one features James.

The card was released as part of Panini's 2020-21 collection and led to a frenzy among collectors trying to land the coveted collectible. TMZ Sports noted that Drake bought 10 cases of Panini cards, totaling $460,000, in hopes of landing the Triple Jumpman LeBron.

It turns out the rapper will have a chance to land the card after all—so long as he's willing to pay around 14-15 times what he's already dropped.

The all-time record for a trading card is the Honus Wagner T-206 card, which went for $6.6 million.

Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James has joined the chorus of voices in support of Phoenix Mercury center Brittney Griner, who has been wrongfully detained by the Russian government for 108 days.

Russian officials claimed in February that they found vape cartridges containing cannabis oil in Griner's luggage at a Moscow airport.

Griner's detention was extended by one month in mid-May in advance of a trial on drug possession charges in mid-June.

She was in Russia to play for UMMC Ekaterinburg of the Russian Premier League, which she has done since 2014.

James tweeted his support a day after the Boston Celtics wore "We are BG" shirts during their NBA Finals practice and media availability in solidarity with Griner.

The Phoenix Suns also showed support for Griner during their playoff run, including point guard Chris Paul and head coach Monty Williams.

WNBA players and teams have already shown public support for Griner, including the Seattle Storm holding BG's Heart and Sole Shoe Drive, the WNBA placing floor decals on all home courts, the Washington Mystics making pleas to bring Griner home and the WNBPA creating a petition.

On Friday, the Los Angeles Lakers officially announced the hiring of new head coach Darvin Ham.

After an extensive and lengthy coaching search—Frank Vogel was fired at the end of the regular season—L.A. settled on the 48-year-old Milwaukee Bucks assistant as the man to lead the Lakers into the future.

However, Ham may not have actually been Los Angeles' top choice. According to NBA insider Marc Stein, Michigan head coach Juwan Howard could have had the job if he wanted it:

"The Lakers, I'm told, made such strong overtures to Howard that the implication was clear: The job was his if he wanted it. As covered here on May 2, Howard made it clear in turn throughout the Lakers' 47-day search that—despite his long associations with both [LeBron] James and Lakers vice president of basketball operations Rob Pelinka—he had no interest in leaving behind the college game at Michigan and the opportunity to coach sons Jace and Jett next season."

At first blush, Howard would appear to be the perfect candidate for this Lakers team. He has head coaching experience, an established relationship with both Pelinka and James and is a former NBA All-Star player.

The Lakers appeared intrigued by the idea of hiring a former player during the interview process—possibly because of their ability to relate to and work with the team's current players.

"Several of the first-year candidates they've been linked to are former players that are known to command respect," Jovan Buha of The Athletic wrote.

While it was Howard who turned down the Lakers, and not the other way around, fans shouldn't view Ham as some sort of consolation prize. He checks all the boxes for what the Lakers were looking for, which became evident during interviews—as Sam Amick and Shams Charania detailed for The Athletic:

"Sources say team officials have prioritized a coach who can command respect and authority from the locker room and who has a strong enough presence and voice to manage the varying roles and relationships across the roster. ...Ham has been known for his no-nonsense style and ability to resonate with his players—attributes that have stood out in his communication with the Lakers thus far as well, sources said."

Like Howard, Ham is a former NBA player. He went unclaimed in the 1996 draft but managed to forge an eight-year playing career. He understands the day-to-day grind of playing basketball at the highest level, and he knows what it takes to win a championship—he won a ring as a player with the Detroit Pistons.

Ham also seems to be a favorite of Lakers star LeBron James, who appeared thrilled when the hiring was first announced.

"He's the guy LeBron wants," a competing source said in May, per Bleacher Report's Eric Pincus.

While Ham has never been a head coach at the college or NBA level, he has coached in the G League and earned a second ring in 2021 as an assistant with the Bucks. This is a fact Pelinka alluded to in the official hiring announcement:

"When someone begins his NBA coaching career at the G League level and goes all the way through playing an integral role on the front bench of an NBA Championship team, it really speaks to a certain strength of character. Our players and fans will immediately identify with Darvin’s no-nonsense and hard-working approach, which we feel will bring toughness and a competitive edge to all we do."

Ham is expected to add someone with head-coaching experience to his staff as well, according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski:

Ham's lack of head-coaching experience shouldn't be an issue and, in many ways, could be an asset. Los Angeles is expected to move forward with the core trio of James, Anthony Davis and Russell Westbrook. Getting the most out of the three could require a fresh approach—anything and everything Vogel seemed to try fell flat—and a rookie coach like Ham should come in with an open mind.

However, Ham won't simply serve as a yes man for James and Co. As Pelinka pointed out, the Lakers were drawn to his no-nonsense approach. Ham will work with his players but will demand a business-first approach.

And, as we're seeing with Ime Udoka and the Boston Celtics, a first-time coach can find immediate success.

Will Ham have the Lakers in the NBA Finals a year from now? Perhaps not, but he has all the tools needed to get them headed in the right direction. He's played the game, coached the game, won at the highest level and will command respect from the Lakers' seasoned veterans.

Without an established system in place, Ham has an opportunity to build an entirely novel one around those veterans.

Even if Ham wasn't L.A.'s first choice, the Lakers learned through the interview process that he is the right choice for this team. Fans will learn that soon enough, too. The roster may look similar next season, but by hiring Ham, the Lakers are heading in a new direction.

Minnesota Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards isn't lacking confidence as evidenced by his selection of an all-time starting five.

When asked by House of Highlights to pick his all-time starting five, Edwards chose himself along with Allen Iverson, LeBron James, Kevin Durant and Shaquille O'Neal, notably leaving off Chicago Bulls legend Michael Jordan.

It is difficult to argue with any of the picks Edwards made aside from himself given all they accomplished during their careers.

Iverson, James, Durant and Shaq are all either current or future Hall of Famers, and they have won many championships between them.

A.I. never won an NBA title, but he was an 11-time All-Star, four-time scoring champion and one-time NBA MVP during a career that he primarily spent with the Philadelphia 76ers.

James, Durant and O'Neal have all won multiple NBA championships and been named NBA Finals MVP on multiple occasions.

LeBron is in the conversation for being the greatest player of all time, having won four NBA championships with the Cleveland Cavaliers, Miami Heat and Los Angeles Lakers.

James is a four-time NBA MVP and four-time NBA Finals MVP, and he ranks second in NBA history in scoring.

Durant twice led the Golden State Warriors to NBA Finals wins over James and the Cavs, and he was named NBA Finals MVP each time. KD is also a one-time NBA MVP and four-time scoring champion.

Shaq is arguably the most dominant center of all time, having won a total of four championships between the Lakers and Heat, plus he was a three-time NBA Finals MVP, one-time NBA MVP and two-time scoring champ.

Perhaps Edwards will reach those heights one day, but he has a long way to go. The No. 1 overall pick in the 2020 NBA draft.

Edwards finished second in the 2020-21 NBA Rookie of the Year voting before averaging 21.3 points per game this season and helping lead the T-Wolves to the playoffs.

The most glaring omission from Edwards' list was undoubtedly Jordan, who is widely regarded as the greatest of all time thanks to his six NBA championships, six NBA Finals MVP awards and five NBA MVP awards.

The Los Angeles Lakers formally announced the hiring of new head coach Darvin Ham on Friday after the sides agreed to a multiyear contract.

Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka praised Ham, a former NBA forward who spent the past four seasons as an assistant with the Milwaukee Bucks:

When someone begins his NBA coaching career at the G League level and goes all the way through playing an integral role on the front bench of an NBA championship team, it really speaks to a certain strength of character. Our players and fans will immediately identify with Darvin's no-nonsense and hard-working approach, which we feel will bring toughness and a competitive edge to all we do. When you add that to Darvin's sophisticated grasp of in-game strategy and deep knowledge of the game of basketball, we have the ideal coach for this next chapter in Lakers history. We could not be more honored and proud to name Darvin Ham as our new head coach.

Lakers superstar LeBron James previously expressed excitement about the hire when it was first reported last week:

Ham played 12 professional seasons after going undrafted in 1996. Along with eight years in the NBA, he spent time in Spain, the Philippines and the G League.

While the Lakers' job will be his first head coaching opportunity in the NBA, he did lead the G League's New Mexico Thunderbirds for the 2010-11 season.

The 48-year-old Michigan native then joined the Lakers' staff as an assistant in 2011 before stints with the Bucks and Atlanta Hawks.

Now he returns to L.A. looking to help the organization turn the page after a forgettable 2021-22 campaign.

Extended injury absences by James and Anthony Davis combined with underwhelming play from Russell Westbrook, the prized acquisition of last offseason's roster reconstruction, led the Lakers to miss the playoffs with a 33-49 record.

Another flurry of moves are probably on the horizon over the next few months, but regardless of whether the changes are major or minor, the expectation will be the same: a return to title contention for the 2020 NBA champions.

Ham, who won an NBA title as a player with the Detroit Pistons in 2004 and another as a member of the Bucks' staff in 2021, is likely aware of that never-ending pressure given his prior time with the storied franchise.

He's the 28th head coach in Lakers history and the team will hold an introductory press conference Monday.