Back in 2022, the Los Angeles Lakers hired Darvin Ham to be their head coach after four seasons as an assistant with the Milwaukee Bucks, which included an NBA Championship in 2021.
Ham led the Lakers to the playoffs as a seventh seed for two seasons in a row and got as far as the Western Conference Finals in his first season.
Yet, after getting swept out of the first round of the playoffs in his second season as head coach, the Lakers fired Ham. He ended his Lakers coaching career with a 90-74 record during the regular season and a 9-12 postseason record. Ham has since landed back with the Bucks as an assistant, but now more details are coming out about his brief Lakers tenure.
Los Angeles Lakers “Hated” Darvin Ham, Love JJ Redick
Darvin Ham’s time with the Los Angeles Lakers didn’t last long. Which considering LeBron James is running out of time to win another ring, it’s no surprise the organization with 17 NBA championships isn’t settling for anything less than first place.
While Ham still got the Lakers into the playoffs in both of his seasons as their head coach, further indications suggest the vibes in LA weren’t great.
According to Hoops Wire’s Sam Amico, Lakers players “hated” being coached by Ham. This is a stark contrast from how they already feel about playing for JJ Redick, as players reportedly have “loved” operating their new coach’s offense.
“There wasn’t one player on the team who posted any message on social media after Darvin was fired. That wasn’t a coincidence.”
Anonymous NBA source on Los Angeles Lakers/Darvin Ham
Other sources added that Anthony Davis never liked catering to Ham’s drop coverage defense. The same goes for his plans for James, which included minutes restrictions. LeBron’s distaste for this plan can be seen and heard on Netflix’s Starting 5, which released on Oct. 9.
Another source added that Lakers players liked their former coach as a person but began tuning him out “all the way back in December.” If so, it’s not hard to understand why the Lakers’ brass felt a change was necessary.