Report: Lakers 'hated' playing for former HC Darvin Ham

With each passing day, it's becoming clearer that the Lakers were an unhappy bunch under former head coach Darvin Ham. The first hints came during their first-round playoff loss to the Nuggets when Anthony Davis said the team was lost for direction on both ends of the floor.

Then, in the lead-up to this year's training camp, D'Angelo Russell and Austin Reaves took subtle shots at Ham while praising the new philosophies instilled by his successor, JJ Redick.

Furthermore, ESPN's Ramona Shelburne reported last week that LeBron James had "lost faith in the Lakers' previous regime," hinting that the star forward was also unhappy with Ham.

On Wednesday, a report from Amico Hoops noted that Lakers players "hated" playing for Ham and "started tuning him out" barely a few months into the 2023-24 season.

"They respected him as a person, not as a coach," a source told Ashish Mathur. "His schemes, rotations and inability to take accountability for his mistakes rubbed guys the wrong way all year. They started tuning him out all the way back in December."

The report added that "it wasn't a coincidence" that none of the Lakers players thanked Ham or wished him well in his future endeavors after he was dismissed as head coach in May.

James' unhappiness with Ham's coaching decisions was also highlighted in the premiere episode of the "Starting 5" documentary on Netflix. In one clip, James could be heard cussing out Ham and his coaching staff for placing him on a 30-minute per-game restriction at the start of the 2023-24 season.

The Lakers begin a new era under Redick on Oct. 22 when they host the Timberwolves on opening night.