The former teammate of LeBron James told the Lakers, "It's a death sentence."

A former teammate of Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James on the Cleveland Cavaliers in Channing Frye seemingly doesn’t want to see J.J. Redick take the Lakers’ coaching job.

The Lakers fired Darvin Ham after the iconic franchise was eliminated by the Denver Nuggets in five games in the opening round of the 2024 NBA Playoffs.

The first-round series wasn’t highly competitive, as the Lakers’ only win during the best-of-seven series came in Game 4, when Los Angeles was staring at an 0-3 hole.

In the 2023 NBA Playoffs, Ham and the Lakers were also eliminated by the Nuggets, but Los Angeles managed to reach the Western Conference Finals before its season came to an end. The Lakers beat the Memphis Grizzlies and Golden State Warriors in the first two rounds of the playoffs before getting swept by Nikola Jokic, Jamal Murray and the Nuggets.

After Ham’s Lakers were eliminated by the Nuggets in consecutive season, Los Angeles decided it was time to hire a new head coach, and Boston Celtics assistant coach Sam Cassell as well as former Charlotte Hornets head coach James Borrego are among the candidates to replace Ham along with Redick, according to Shams Charania.