LeBron James Plays Role Of Coach, Subs Himself Out Of The Game As Darvin Ham Looks On

LeBron James had enough of playing basketball last night, and didn’t wait for head coach Darvin Ham to take him out of the game.

With the Los Angeles Lakers up by 23 late in the fourth quarter against the Portland Trail Blazers, James was done for the evening. To be fair, he chipped in 28 points, five rebounds, and five assists, light work for one of the best players on the planet. He had clearly done his part in the blowout.

So with just over six minutes to go, the superstar got subbed out. Or, more accurately, he subbed himself out, without seeking permission from Ham.

After intentionally committing a foul to get a stoppage in play, James took it upon himself to call a timeout and get himself out of the game. He looked at Ham briefly, but didn’t exactly wait for the coach’s permission to make the change. Ham just looked on, realized he wasn’t in charge in that situation, and let it happen.

Basketball fans found the moment hysterical and used it as fuel to criticize Ham’s standing with the team.

Ham Has Had A Difficult Season In Los Angeles

LeBron has done this at other points during his career. As an isolated incident in a blowout regular season game, this is not a huge deal.

But this season has been trying for Ham in other ways. At several points during the year, players have questioned Ham’s inconsistent personnel decisions for certain games, leading to a strong level of “disconnect” within the locker room.

That disconnect has contributed to the Lakers losing 7 of their last 12 games and a 22-22 overall record, which obviously isn’t what the Lakers want. After a particularly discouraging 130-112 loss to the Brooklyn Nets on Friday, Ham highlighted several areas that the Lakers must improve on.

But he also mentioned that at this point in the season, excuses don’t matter that much anymore.

“It’s over for the excuses, man. We got to play basketball,” Ham said.

On top of the rift in the locker room, LeBron doesn't ask for permission to take himself out of the Portland game. Again, not a huge deal, but it's also a bad look considering everything else that's gone on.

This seasons' struggles certainly aren’t completely the coach’s fault. Furthermore, he did guide them to an In-Season Tournament win over the Indiana Pacers in December. 

But if the Lakers are to salvage their season, the relationship between players and coaches will have to improve. And that might involve leaving Ham in charge of telling dudes when to come off the court.