Report: Anthony Davis Played Big Role In Lakers Firing Darvin Ham

According to NBA insider Sam Amick of The Athletic, Anthony Davis played a big role in the Los Angeles Lakers firing Darvin Ham. 

Davis “was not on board” with Ham anymore. 

“When they chose to fire Darvin Ham, I was told that one of the many, many considerations was that it was pretty evident that AD was not on board anymore with Darvin,” Amick said on The Rich Eisen Show. “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.”

In Ham’s two seasons, the Lakers went 90-74. The Denver Nuggets swept Los Angeles in the 2023 Western Conference Finals. The Nuggets then beat the Lakers in the first round of this year’s playoffs. 

Davis averaged 25.2 points, 12.6 rebounds, 3.1 assists, 1.1 steals and 2.2 blocks under Ham, who lost the locker room in December when he benched D’Angelo Russell, Austin Reaves and Rui Hachimura and started LeBron James, Taurean Prince, Jarred Vanderbilt, Cam Reddish and Davis on December 23 against the Oklahoma City Thunder, multiple sources told Hoops Wire. 

Davis, one of the top defensive players in the NBA, was never a fan of Ham’s drop coverage defensive tactic, sources told Hoops Wire. 

The Lakers have been linked to JJ Redick, Sam Cassell, James Borrego, David Adelman, Micah Nori and Chris Quinn. Most people in the NBA expect Los Angeles to hire Redick, who has a close relationship with LeBron. 

As expected, LeBron and Davis’ opinions will be taken “into consideration” in the Lakers head coach search. 

LeBron and Davis have been teammates since 2019-20. The Lakers won the 2020 title, lost in the first round of the 2021 playoffs, missed the 2022 playoffs, lost in the 2023 Western Conference Finals and lost in the first round of this year’s postseason.