Darvin Ham fired as Lakers coach, who will coach LeBron James and the Lake Show next?

After the Los Angeles Lakers flamed out of their first-round NBA playoff series against the Denver Nuggets — and after needing wins in the NBA's play-in tournament to even secure a playoff spot — the organization sporting purple and gold decided to fire head coach Darvin Ham after two seasons at the helm.

Now, the Lakers need someone new patrolling the sidelines as LeBron James is left to ponder how much basketball he has left in the tank. The Akron native will turn 40 this December, and he's already defied all logic and expectations by continuing to play at his usual elite level into his late-30s.

So, who will the Lakers tab next to guide LeBron, Anthony Davis and whatever supporting cast the Los Angeles brass slots in to complement their stars?

Speculation of who the new coach will be is running rampant, but who seems to be on the shortlist?

Mike Budenholzer, Ty Lue, JJ Redick among head coach candidates floated to replace Darvin Ham with Lakers

It didn't take long before NBA personalities started floating the concept of JJ Redick, who's expressed a desire to coach in the NBA, taking over as the Lakers next head coach.

“I have a desire to coach in the NBA, life is about timing, life is about the right situation. So, I can't say a when, and I can't say a definite it's going to happen," Redick said on an episode of The Pivot Podcast.

That statement was not lost on former North Carolina Tar Heel star and former NBA player Rashad McCants, who put on his tin foil hat during an episode of the No Chill with Gilbert Arenas podcast.

McCants connected dots that Redick and James starting a podcast together could be the first steppingstone to the former Duke sharpshooter ultimately getting the vacant Lakers coaching job to be on the sidelines with LeBron.

McCants added that the Lakers could in theory draft LeBron's son Bronny James in this year's NBA draft, adding an extra layer to the speculation.

At this stage of his career, it's not farfetched to think James would desire more autonomy in terms of captaining the ship, and Redick could provide that as more of a respected peer than an elder statesman.

Of course, veteran coaching names such as Mike Budenholzer — who won a championship as head coach of the Milwaukee Bucks in 2021 — and Ty Lue, who previously coached James with the Cleveland Cavaliers, winning a title and two Eastern Conference championships, could also be solid fits.

Lue is currently the head coach of the Los Angeles Clippers.

Los Angeles Lakers coaching history, who were their past coaches?

Prior to Darvin Ham's last two seasons at the helm of the storied franchise, Frank Vogel coached the Lakers for three seasons, starting with the COVID-19 pandemic shortened 2020 season in which the Lakers won an NBA title while playing the bubble.

Vogel is now on the hot seat in Phoenix after the Suns were swept out of the first round by the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Gone are the days of the Lakers having a steady coaching rock on the sidelines starting at the turn of the century when Phil Jackson coached the team in 11 of 12 seasons from 1999-00 through 2010-11, winning five total championships in that span.

After the Jackson era (which had a one-year hiatus with Rudy Tomjanovich and Frank Hamblen at the helm), former Cleveland Cavaliers coach Mike Brown took over for one season, before being fired just five games into the 2012-13 campaign after a 1-4 start.

Bernie Bickerstaff, who both serves as the Senior Basketball Advisor for the Cavaliers and is the father of current Cavs head coach J.B. Bickerstaff, took over for Brown for five games before Mike D’Antoni — known for coaching the “Run-n-Gun" Phoenix Suns with Steve Nash — was handed the reins.

D’Antoni also had a short leash, being fired just one season later.

Byron Scott took over for 2014-15 through 2015-16. Luke Walton bridged the gap to the aforementioned Vogel from there. Scott also was head coach of the Cavs from 2010-13, while Walton is an assistant coach with the Cavs now.

Regardless of who the Lakers decide to tab as the next head coach, it will be interesting to see how long they serve in that role, as the Lakers’ head coaching spot has been a bit of a revolving door since Jackson called it a career.

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Darvin Ham fired as Lakers coach, who will coach LeBron James and the Lake Show next?