National Basketball Association

NBA odds: Lines on Lakers' next coach, from Darvin Ham to Phil Jackson

Published May. 24, 2022 4:49 p.m. ET

While we are deep into the NBA playoffs with only four teams remaining, LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers are conspicuous in their absence.

They started the season as one of the betting favorites to win the title, but they failed to make even the play-in game.

After painting Frank Vogel as the scapegoat and unceremoniously dumping him a mere two years after winning the bubble championship, the Lakers are in dire need of a new head coach.

While we all sit and wonder who that will be, word has come out on whom it will not be, and that is, Juwan Howard. The Fab Fiver is currently coaching his sons at the University of Michigan — his alma matter.

So with that pipe dream gone, who are the best candidates left for one of the most pressure-packed coaching jobs in all sports? Thankfully, FOX Bet offered up some hypothetical odds for who might lead L.A.'s redemption season.

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ODDS ON LAKERS' NEXT HEAD COACH*
Darvin Ham: +300 (bet $10 to win $40 total)
Terry Stotts: +400 (bet $10 to win $50 total)
Doc Rivers: +600 (bet $10 to win $70 total)
Mark Jackson: +600 (bet $10 to win $70 total)
Kenny Atkinson: +650 (bet $10 to win $75 total)
Quin Synder: +1200 (bet $10 to win $130 total)
Jay Wright: +1600 (bet $10 to win $170 total)
Phil Jackson: +10000 (bet $10 to win $1,110 total)

*Odds as of 5/24/2022

Howard played with Lakers GM Rob Pelinka in college and is a former teammate of LeBron James, but that allegedly wasn’t enough to sway the big man to grab the reins in La La land.

Leading the pack is Darvin Ham (+300), an NBA vet who is perhaps most famously known for shattering the backboard while playing for Texas Tech in the 1996 NCAA Tournament. The longtime assistant is currently with the Milwaukee Bucks, where he won the title last season. The strong favorite would bring a commanding presence to the locker room and, hopefully, can manage all the egos in Los Angeles.

Long-time Portland Trail Blazers head coach Terry Stotts (+400) is the second favorite to potentially guide the Lakers next season. The veteran coach is known for his offensive wizardry and getting Portland to the postseason eight out of his nine years with the team. However, after all those years in the serene Northwest, can he handle Hollywood's bright lights?

Mark Jackson (+600), last seen coaching the Golden State Warriors in the 2013-2014 season, is also in contention to be the next advisor to the King. The NBA vet is currently fifth on the all-time assists list and is known for being a hard-driving coach with a strong personality. Those traits will be needed to control this locker room. On a fun note, with LeBron trailing him on the assists list by 290, he would get to see his own player knock him out of the top five.

Phil Jackson (+10000) is too zen to even consider this job, but he is on the list!

So who do you think lands L.A.'s high-profile gig? Stay tuned to see how it all unfolds!

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