Video shows LeBron James begged Darvin Ham to keep him on the floor

Denver Nuggets coach Mike Malone could be punching air right now. Instead of talking about his team’s blowout win or their ring and banner ceremony, LeBron James has been the biggest talking point in the NBA for two days straight.

Having him on the floor for just 29 minutes was odd enough, and Darvin Ham’s admission of that being the plan for the remainder of the season sounded off the alarms around the fan base.

The Los Angeles Lakers need someone to step up if LeBron is going to be limited to 28-30 minutes a night. That’s almost 10 minutes less than his career average, and his teams haven’t fared well when he’s on the bench.

Moreover, it’s not like LeBron was happy or even on board with that plan, either. In a now-viral video shared on Twitter, James voiced his frustration about not being able to be on the floor.

LeBron James Asked Darvin Ham To Be Back

“Y’all know I can play point guard as well, right?” Bron said. “We got a lot left; I can play the point with Rui [Hachimura] in there, or Austin [Reaves] and T.P. [Taurean Prince] at the two and three. I’m just out there floating around.”

His coach still stood by the coaching staff’s plan and kept James on the bench as his team tried to make a push to get back at the Nuggets. That wasn’t the case, and they dropped yet another game to Nikola Jokic and company.

James Claims To Be On Board

Following the loss, James talked about Ham’s plan, and while he was clearly frustrated because he felt like he could contribute, he claimed that he was going to follow the system:

“I always want to be on the floor,” LeBron said. “Especially if you’ve got an opportunity to win the game or you feel like you can make an impact. But, I guess there’s a system in place, and I’ll follow it.”

Notably, that’s far from what he said a couple of years ago. He’s never been a fan of load management, and he once said that narrative of him needing to take a breather as he got older was an overreaction:

“I think this whole narrative of ‘LeBron needs more rest,’ or I should take more rest, or I should take time here, it’s become a lot bigger than what it actually is,” James told the media in 2021, “I’ve never talked about it, I don’t talk about it, I don’t believe in it. We all need more rest. I don’t play the game thinking about injuries. And I also feel worse when I play low minutes.”

An unhappy LeBron James usually means bad news for coaches. He’s got a long list of fired coaches in his résumé, and while his relationship with Darvin Ham seems to be great, we all know how quickly things can change in the league. For now, the Lakers will need Anthony Davis to carry the load and the supporting cast to chip in as well.