It was reported on Monday that former NBA All-Star and champion Rasheed Wallace would be joining the Los Angeles Lakers coaching staff next season. The news came on the heels of the Lakers' hiring of Wallace's former Detroit Pistons' teammate — Darvin Ham — as the franchise's next head coach.
On Tuesday, more reports emerged that Ham could soon be conducting a seismic overhaul in the Los Angeles coaching room.
Ham has been discussing assistant coaching roles with several possible candidates around the league, sources tell ESPN. That’s a process that’s expected to be ongoing for weeks. https://t.co/UPhZZI4zbJ
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) June 7, 2022
David Fizdale just concluded his first season as a Lakers assistant, but has nearly two decades of NBA coaching experience. Fizdale held assistant gigs with the Golden State Warriors, Atlanta Hawks and Miami Heat from 2003 to 2016, before landing his first head-coaching job with the Memphis Grizzlies ahead of the 2016-2017 campaign.
In one-plus seasons with Memphis, Fizdale led the team to a 50-51 regular-season record and 2-4 mark in the playoffs. The 47-year-old was hired as the head coach of the New York Knicks in May 2018 and in one-plus seasons with the group, the Knicks went 21-83.
Mike Penberthy spent one season as the Minnesota Timberwolves shooting coach and one season in the same role with the New Orleans Pelicans before spending the last three years on the Lakers bench. John Lucas III spent time as the player development coach for the Timberwolves before spending last season in Los Angeles.
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