Darvin Ham is earning his pay as the Los Angeles Lakers head coach, trying to ensure that a weak roster headlined by Anthony Davis and LeBron James is good enough to make the playoffs. However, the struggle with the 2022-23 Lakers doesn’t even pale in comparison to the actual struggle that Ham has been through in his lifetime.
Ahead of Ham’s return to his hometown of Detroit with the Lakers, the coach spoke about his extremely rough upbringing in Saginaw, Michigan, the same place Draymond Green also grew up in. Ham went on to reveal that he suffers from PTSD due to the things that happened around him and to him when he was growing up.
“As Black people, we don’t have enough therapy,” Ham said. “I have PTSD [post-traumatic stress disorder] to this day off them shots ringing out, getting shot, the s— going on in my neighborhood. And we don’t … we think it’s cowardice or we’re weak if we go get help. And we need so much help, bro.” (h/t Los Angeles Times)
Ham had previously revealed that he was shot in the face in 1998, so living through that means he doesn’t feel pressure when it comes to basketball. This is the kind of head coach that can inspire and lead a group of people, something he’s showing on the court with the Lakers’ recent revival.
Can The Lakers Push Toward Contention?
The Los Angeles Lakers are 11-15 on the season after their latest win over the Detroit Pistons. While the Pistons aren’t top-tier opposition, the Lakers need to beat any team put in front of them to reach .500. Teams in the West are struggling, and there is a chance for the Lakers to capitalize on that and make a playoff push.
With NBA trade season looming, it seems more and more likely that the Lakers will reinforce their roster with complementary talent and, hopefully, not go another season without making the playoffs.
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