Bryce James has entered the chat.
LeBron James’ 16-year-old son raised eyebrows when a TikTok video was reposted to his page that trolled Lakers head coach Darvin Ham after L.A.’s season-ending loss to the Nuggets in Game 5 of their first-round playoff series Monday night.
“The Nuggets are on a 15-0 run,” the image read, which featured a photo of the cartoon character Arthur smiling with his hands in his pockets.
As of Wednesday morning, the video was still posted on Bryce’s TikTok page under the repost tab.
Ham, whom the Lakers hired in 2022, is reportedly on the verge of getting fired after L.A.’s playoff hopes were shut down for the second straight year by the reigning NBA champion Nuggets.
LeBron finished with a double-double — he had 30 points, 11 assists and nine rebounds — in the Lakers’ 108-106 loss in Game 5.
The Lakers have now failed to advance past the first round in two of their last three playoff appearances.
Ham seemed to place blame for some of the Lakers’ struggles on an unnamed starter and explained how he was criticized over things that were out of his control.
“It’s been extremely challenging,” Ham said, per ESPN. “Everyone that’s been in and out of the lineup. Being criticized for not having a consistent rotation when I don’t have consistent healthy bodies.”
“It’s amazing how people just skip that core part of having a consistency with your lineup is all predicated on health and performance. If you’re coaching a team and one of your starters is like 10 games in a row, just s–tting the bed, what are you going to do?”
Ham, who said he loves his job and the pressure that comes with it, added, “Common sense tends to go out the window when you talk about my job in particular.”
The Lakers will make a decision on Ham’s coaching future in the coming days, according to ESPN.
LeBron and Bryce — a top-150 recruit in the class of 2025, per 247 Sports — have yet to address the social media buzz, but all eyes are on the 39-year-old, whose NBA future is up in the air after the end of his 21st season.
LeBron, who will turn 40 in December, declined to provide clarity when asked if he considered L.A.’s loss to be his last game in a purple and gold jersey.
“Um, I’m not going to answer that,” James said after a brief pause during a postgame press conference. “Appreciate it.”
When asked about “what’s next” for his summer plans and next season, LeBron said his initial thoughts were spending time with his family and friends and resting before training camp with USA Basketball for the Paris Olympics this summer.
“I don’t have an answer … to be honest,” said LeBron when asked about his decision to return for year 22 in the NBA. “I haven’t given it much thought.”
LeBron — a four-time NBA champion and the league’s all-time leading scorer — explained he would meet with agent Rich Paul and his family to evaluate “what’s best for my career” at some point.
“We’ll cross that when we need to,” he said.