The Los Angeles Lakers have requested permission to interview Milwaukee Bucks assistant coach Charles Lee for the team's vacant head coaching job, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic.

Lee is not the only member of Mike Budenholzer's championship-winning staff to get a look from the Lakers. Los Angeles previously requested to interview Darvin Ham.

Lee, who played in college (Bucknell) and overseas but not in the NBA, has interviewed for numerous head coaching jobs during his time as an assistant, including with the Charlotte Hornets earlier this offseason. The 37-year-old was reportedly a finalist to land the New Orleans Pelicans job last summer, but the Pels hired Willie Green. He was also a finalist for the Washington Wizards gig.

Like Ham, Lee has worked with Budenholzer since his successful tenure with the Atlanta Hawks. Lee joined the Hawks staff in 2014.

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A few months ago, Lee was named to The Athletic's 40 under 40 list of NBA power players, and he expressed his desire and readiness to helm his own team. ESPN's Kevin Pelton included Lee in his roundup of ascending coaching prospects.

“Lee has established himself as a multitool coach who projects confidence, emotional and tactical intelligence and affability. Colleagues marvel at his ability to relate to everyone, be it a two-way player…to an owner (he worked as a trader on Wall Street),” Pelton wrote. “A number of executives and coaches say that had Lee played one minute in the NBA (or had NBA bloodlines), he’d be gainfully employed as a head coach today.”

The Lakers are taking their sweet time with their coaching search, in part to see if any currently employed coaches (Doc Rivers, Quin Snyder) become available. Thus far, they have interviewed or requested to interview Ham, Lee, Mark Jackson, Kenny Atkinson, Adrian Griffin, and Terry Stotts.

Rob Pelinka said the Lakers want a coach with a “strong voice” who can command the respect of stars. He said the Lakers hope to have a coach in place before the 2022 NBA Draft on June 23rd.