The Los Angeles Lakers have agreed to hire Atlanta Hawks assistant Chris Jent as Darvin Ham’s top assistant coach on his staff, sources told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
Ham, a first-time head coach, made Jent a priority and recruited him hard after getting the Lakers job, sources told Wojnarowski.
Ham and Jent coached with the Hawks together in 2017-18 and Jent — who played collegiately at Ohio State before playing briefly in the NBA as well as overseas — also has ties to Lakers star LeBron James, having served as an assistant with the Cleveland Cavaliers from 2006 to 2011.
Jent became a de facto personal shooting coach for James, with the four-time MVP once tweeting how he “loved” working with Jent.
He will join a staff that already includes assistants Phil Handy and Quinton Crawford as holdovers from previous coach Frank Vogel’s time on the sidelines, as well as support staff members Jon Pastorek, Dru Anthrop and Zachary Gonzales.
Jent’s coaching résumé spans nearly two decades. Beyond the aforementioned stops in Atlanta and Cleveland, Jent has coached at various levels of basketball, including roles with the Philadelphia 76ers, Orlando Magic and Sacramento Kings in the NBA, Bakersfield Jam in the G League and two stints in the NCAA with his alma mater, Ohio State.