NBA News Lakers to Recruit Darvin Ham as Head Coach

According to Adrian Wojnarowski, the Los Angeles Lakers have hired Milwaukee Bucks assistant Darvin Ham as their head coach. The Lakers interviewed a number of candidates, but the search was almost over. They focused on the three Ham finalists, former Portland Trail Blazers head coach Terry Stotts. And former Brooklyn Nets head coach Kenny Atkinson. In the end, Ham was able to win against more experienced competition and will receive a four-year contract to coach the franchise, according to Shams Charania. Ham, a minor striker in his playing days, managed to elevate an NBA career that spanned nearly a decade.

He won the championship with the 2004 Pistons and participated in the 1997 Slam Dunk Contest but has since made his name as an assistant coach. After a few years in the G League, Ham’s first NBA coaching job came with the Lakers. He worked under Phil Jackson from 2011-2013, only narrowly missing Kobe Bryant’s last two championships. However, his rise to fame did not come in Los Angeles. He left the Lakers in 2013 to join Mike Budenholzer’s staff in Atlanta and has since worked under Budenholzer. Ham has been Budenholzer’s main assistant for the past few years, and the pair won the championship together in 2021.

David Ham’s First Time As Head Coach

So far, the coaches of the Budenholzer tree have been quite successful in their own work. Reported Lakers candidate Quin Snyder, Memphis Grizzlies head coach Taylor Jenkins and Atkinson all ironically worked under Budenholzer. The Lakers likely appreciated the experience as they also interviewed Budenholzer’s other assistant Charles Lee. Now Ham will become head coach for the first time in his career. And he found a job that suited him, given the year the Lakers had just had. Despite entering the season as Western Conference favorites, the Lakers actually missed the playoffs with a 33-49 record. Their trade for Russell Westbrook was a disaster, and Frank Vogel was sacked as head coach just seconds after the final bell of the season’s end.

The roster needs improvement; LeBron James and Anthony Davis have been dealing with injuries for two years, and in a laden Western Conference, making the playoffs more difficult than ever. The Lakers believe that Ham is up to the task. His first head-coaching job is going to be one of the most difficult in all of basketball, but remember, the last time the team that hired James hired a first-time head coach, they won the championship. The coach, Ty Lue, coached in the same arena as Ham. Now the Lakers hope he will achieve the same result.

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