LeBron James has continuously faced charges of influencing management and was held responsible for firing the LA Lakers’ former head coach Darvin Ham. Is the Lakers’ front office functioning at the behest of LeGM? Charles Barkley believes so and has been steadfast in his position. In a recent conversation with Sports Illustrated‘s Jimmy Traina, he reiterated his stance.
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Traina asked Barkley about the reports affirming that James has nothing to do with the Lakers’ head coach choices. While lamenting the norm of head coaches being fired left and right, the 1987 rebounding champion took such assertions with a grain of salt. He declared that the Lakers would select one who aligns with James’ preference,
“The Lakers are not gonna make any decision without running by LeBron, I guarantee you, yeah that’s a joke. The Lakers are not gonna a hire coach without talking to LeBron, that is an insult to all of us.”
The murmurs of James being responsible for hiring and firing coaches have been rife since his early career. Some suggested that James wanted the Miami Heat to fire Erik Spoelstra just before he won two championships. Later, he was held responsible for the ouster of Cavaliers HC David Blatt, to replace him with 2016 champion coach Tyronn Lue.
Recently, he has been accused of orchestrating the exit of Frank Vogel and Ham from the Lakers. Thus, speculations about James being the catalyst for the next Lakers’ head coaching choice have once again flooded the scene.
Is the Lakers going to hire LeBron James’ podcast co-host?
When the Lakers considered JJ Redick as a candidate for the position, many pointed out that Redick was in the race because he co-hosts Mind the Game pod with LeBron James. He has no prior experience even as an assistant coach in the NBA, so there were doubts about him being ready to manage a veteran locker room.
At the same time, the 39-year-old has also been interviewed by the Charlotte Hornets. He has built an immense reputation among NBA front offices.
Meanwhile, there are some doubts even about LBJ remaining with the Lakers. He made headlines after attending the Game 4 ECSF between the Cleveland Cavaliers and Boston Celtics. Some believe that this was his way of telling the Lakers that he is keeping his options open.
His cryptic tweets have further added to the intrigue and fueled the narratives of him leaving the franchise. As someone with a high basketball IQ and elite 20+ seasons, under his belt, he has earned the right to advise his current franchise. However, critics point out that this culture renders the head coaching position insecure and at the whim of an NBA superstar.
