NBA: Lakers hiring Rasheed Wallace as assistant coach–report

NEW YORK, NY - DECEMBER 02: Rasheed Wallace #36 of the New York Knicks leaves the court after his second technical foul and ejection in the game against the Phoenix Suns at Madison Square Garden on December 2, 2012 in New York City. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. The Knicks defeated the Suns 106-99.   Bruce Bennett/Getty Images/AFP (Photo by BRUCE BENNETT / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP)

FILE–Rasheed Wallace during his time with New York Knicks. Bruce Bennett/Getty Images/AFP 

New Los Angeles Lakers head coach Darvin Ham is adding four-time NBA All-Star Rasheed Wallace to his coaching staff, The Athletic reported Monday.

Wallace spent last season as an assistant coach at the University of Memphis under Penny Hardaway, who hinted that Wallace would be joining the Lakers, per the report.

Wallace, 47, and Ham were teammates on the Detroit Pistons’ 2004 NBA championship squad.

During his introductory press conference with the Lakers later on Monday, Ham said news of a Wallace hire was “not true at all,” with the negotiations still “fluid.”

“In regards to Rasheed, that’s an active situation, that’s fluid,” Ham said. “He’s definitely a candidate that we’ll take a look at, but we’re working through that. We have a list of names and some people that’s currently under contract and we’re working with some really, really talented coaches. We’re working through that in order to pick the best staff possible.”

Wallace averaged 14.4 points and 6.7 rebounds in 1,109 games (956 starts) with the then-Washington Bullets, Portland Trail Blazers, Atlanta Hawks, Pistons, Boston Celtics and New York Knicks. He was the No. 4 overall pick in the 1995 NBA Draft by Washington.

Wallace was an assistant coach with the Pistons from 2013-14 and coached at Jordan High School in Durham, N.C., from 2019-20

The Lakers officially named Ham as the head coach last Friday to replace Frank Vogel, who was fired in April after a disappointing 33-49 season in 2021-22.

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