Rasheed Wallace joining Los Angeles Lakers as assistant under Darvin Ham

Rasheed Wallace is taking his talents back to the NBA, accepting a job on the Lakers coaching staff.

After spending the better part of last season as an assistant coach on Penny Hardaway‘s Memphis staff, Wallace is returning to the league. On Monday, the Tigers coach hinted at the former NBA star being a shoe-in to join the newly-minted Lakers coach Darvin Ham in Los Angeles.

“Rasheed Wallace, who spent part of last season as an assistant coach under Penny Hardaway at Memphis, could soon be back in the NBA,” wrote Jason Munz of the Memphis Commercial Appeal. “On Monday, Hardaway said he expects Wallace will be part of new L.A. Lakers coach Darvin Ham’s coaching staff.”

Moreover, Hardaway stated that it’s been in the works for awhile now, and Wallace has always planned to join Ham wherever he ended up coaching.

“I think Rasheed might be going to LA with Darvin Ham. That was the deal from the beginning,” Hardaway said, per Munz. “If Darvin had gotten a job last year, Rasheed had already promised him that he was going to go with him. So, I’m thinking this year, with him getting the Lakers job, (Wallace) might still be going along with that process.”

Now, it’s coming to fruition, as Shams Charania of The Athletic revealed Wallace has agreed to join Ham in Los Angeles.

“Sources: Four-time NBA All-Star Rasheed Wallace has agreed on a deal to be an assistant coach for the Lakers under new head coach Darvin Ham,” tweeted Charania. “Both were teammates in Detroit and part of the 2004 title team. Memphis‘ Penny Hardaway hinted today Wallace may join Ham in LA.”

Last season, Wallace joined Hardaway’s staff after an impressive tenure as the head coach of the boys varsity basketball team at Charles E. Jordan High School in Durham, North Carolina. However, he worked remote from the middle of January through the remainder of the season, not serving as an in-person coach any longer.

In the past, the former North Carolina star has been a coach in the NBA — serving as an assistant with his beloved Detroit Pistons following the end of his NBA career. Now, it looks like Wallace is on his way back to the league.

There’s history between Wallace and Ham, as the duo spent a couple of seasons together with the Pistons, bringing the 2004 NBA title to Detroit. Additionally, the coach of that Pistons team — Larry Brown — is currently serving as an assistant under Hardaway at Memphis, as well. While Wallace likely won’t be returning, Hardaway expects Brown to be back with Memphis.

Regardless, Rasheed Wallace is on his way back to the NBA, where he’ll have a shot to coach an extraordinarily talented team with one of his good buddies in Darvin Ham.