SUMMARY
- LeBron James had a meltdown after the referees ruled a turnover against the Lakers when he did touch the ball.
- A frustrated James begged Darvin Ham to challenge the call while he didn't.
LeBron James is widely considered one of the smartest players in the league. There is a reason why he’s achieved so much over the years while bringing a championship to every team he’s ever played for. But the Los Angeles Lakers vs Denver Nuggets matchup might be the most we’ve ever seen The King struggle on the floor. While the struggles have nothing to do with his numbers, it mainly involves the Lakers as a whole.
LEAKED Audio Of LeBron James Getting Heated At Darvin Ham👀:
“Challenge the f*cking play!” pic.twitter.com/mIlJqnfhDX
— LegendZ (@legendz_nba) April 28, 2024
During the fourth quarter, while Kentavious Caldwell-Pope had the ball in possession, James reached out to grab a steal. The Nuggets guard fumbled the ball out of bounds but the referees ruled it as a Lakers turnover. James asked Darvin Ham to challenge the call and he was heard saying, “I did not touch the ball. I did not touch it. Challenge it. Challenge the f**king play!” While James had his meltdown, Jamal Murray was given the inbound pass and the Nuggets scored two points.
NBA fans empathize with LeBron James’ fourth-quarter meltdown
Coach Ham has been quite the issue for the Lakers according to fans and experts of the game. In the replay, LeBron James clearly avoided contact with the ball and the call should’ve been against KCP. Fans weren’t happy about Ham’s decision to not challenge the call and allow the Nuggets to carry on with the game. In fact, people have been rallying against Ham urging the Lakers to fire him.
I don’t blame him . Imagine being 3-0. You want to challenge every play u can. I’d be pissed too.
— Linda (@1therealher) April 28, 2024
I think ham thinks he knows more basketball than Bron
— Socrates (@x_socrates1) April 28, 2024
One X user said, “I don’t blame him. Imagine being 3-0. You want to challenge every play u can. I’d be pissed too.” Another fan added, “I think Ham thinks he knows more basketball than Bron.” But this instance didn’t have much of a negative impact on the outcome of the game as the Lakers snapped their 11-game losing streak. James recorded 30 points, 5 rebounds, and 4 assists shooting 14-23 from the field.
Should the Lakers consider letting go of Darvin Ham?
A major takeaway from Game 4 is that the Lakers genuinely need to monitor Darvin Ham’s work henceforth. Ham does a good job of motivating his team to win, however, his work isn’t very effective when it comes to the actual game. Game 4 Lakers was arguably the most dominant version of the team this season.
Darvin Ham on Anthony Davis’ comment after game 2, “we have stretches when we don’t know what we’re doing.”
Ham: “I will agree to disagree with AD.” pic.twitter.com/8ghmhMcFRp
— Lakers Loop (@lakersloop) April 24, 2024
However, considering the amount of talent the Lakers have on the roster, Ham is expected to do a far better job than settling for the Play-In Tournament. Players have begun expressing their frustrations against Ham. Anthony Davis claims the Lakers don’t know what they’re doing, while D’Angelo Russell blatantly rejected Ham’s supportive comments after Game 4. Maybe the Lakers need to explore finding another experienced coach during the off-season.