In the aftermath of Frank Vogel’s unceremonious firing, the Los Angeles Lakers set out to find a replacement. Among the finalists for the job were former Blazers coach Terry Stotts, 76ers coach Doc Rivers, and Bucks assistant Darvin Ham.
According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, the team has settled on Ham as their guy.
The Los Angeles Lakers have hired Milwaukee Bucks assistant Darvin Ham as their head coach, according to Adrian Wojnarowski. The Lakers interviewed a number of candidates, but as the search drew to a close, they focused on three finalists: Ham, former Portland Trail Blazers head coach Terry Stotts, and former Brooklyn Nets head coach Kenny Atkinson. In the end, Ham was able to win out over his more experienced competition.
Ham, a small forward in his playing days, managed to eke out an NBA career that lasted nearly a decade. He won a championship with the 2004 Pistons and participated in the 1997 Slam Dunk Contest, but he 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, just narrowly missing out on Kobe Bryant’s last two championships.
The Lakers have hired Darvin Ham as coach, sources tell ESPN.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) May 28, 2022
The Lakers finished 11th in the West in what was a mostly disastrous season. Russell Westbrook was a bad fit, LeBron James and Anthony Davis missed a lot of time, and the whole vibe within the organization was wrong.
To make matters worse, there isn’t much they’ll be able to do to change the roster. In all likelihood, most of the players they have now will be there next October.
The hope is that, with Ham, L.A. will finally have the means to make things work, and they can make amends for the terrible play they’ve put on over the past two years.
