Lakers rumors: Next coach must have LeBron James' respect before taking the job

The Lakers' LeBron James has had a long history of butting heads with coaches, going through as many as eight coaches throughout his 16-year career.

LeBron James has had a long history of butting heads with coaches, going through as many as eight coaches throughout his 16-year career. With the Los Angeles Lakers coaching search already under way, whoever winds up getting hired will need to have his respect before taking the job, according to ESPN's Brian Windhorst.

“This is absolutely vital,” wrote Windhorst. “While it's possible to win James' respect, it's much harder than if you carry it with you from the start. If you don't have James' respect, you have no chance.”

James went through several coaches during his first tenure in Cleveland, as Paul Silas, Brendan Malone and Mike Brown composed the first three he experienced at the pro level. Upon landing with the Miami Heat, a brand new coach in Erik Spoelstra, formerly a video coordinator for the team, had a long way to go, eventually earning it over the course of a four-year stretch with The King.

Coming back to Cleveland, David Blatt, who arrived as one of the most respected coaches from Europe, never won his respect, and he was fired after a season-and-change.

Luke Walton struggled gaining his respect too, as he was a third-year head coach and a former role player during his NBA days.

“Meanwhile Ty Lue, who played against James, and Paul Silas, his first NBA coach and a legendary tough guy who had won multiple championships, were able to win over James much quicker. That doesn't mean they didn't butt heads — James cursed Lue to his face and walked out of the locker room after an argument at halftime of Game 7 of the 2016 NBA Finals — but they held James' respect.

James' first summer playing for Mike Krzyzewski with Team USA was rocky, but they got through it because of James' immense respect for the Duke legend. Now James considers him a mentor.

You don't have to be a Hall of Famer to get James' respect, but for you to have a decent chance, you need to have it before you take the job.”

Lakers GM Rob Pelinka recently interviewed Philadelphia 76ers assistant Monty Williams, who has previous rapport with James as a coaching staff member for Team USA, as well as several years in the NBA sidelines — though it's tough to go from rapport to respect, as they may be two separate worlds for King James.