Getty New Lakers coach Darvin Ham
Milwaukee Bucks assistant Darvin Ham agreed to a four-year deal to become the next coach of the Los Angeles Lakers and a former Finals MVP believes the purple and gold nailed the hire.
In an interview with Dan Woike and Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times, Chauncey Billups said Ham is the right man to coach the Lakers. Billups and Ham were teammates on the Detroit Pistons for two seasons and won the 2004 title over Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal.
“He’s going to be honest as a coach of the Lakers, which is what I think you need in the NBA today — somebody that’s going to be honest but know how to be honest without actually just tearing you down,” Billups said. “What can you say? He’s won as a player. He’s won as a coach. I mean, this dude is more than qualified for the task at hand. I’m so happy and proud of him. I spoke to him last night and he was so excited. He’s ready for this job. He’s the right guy for this Lakers job.”
According to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, the Lakers were sold on Ham’s “stature and toughness, his history of coaching star players and championship pedigree as an assistant and player.” Ham worked closely with Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo and helped Milwaukee win the 2021 championship over the Phoenix Suns.
Billups on Ham: ‘He’s That Guy’
Billups told the Los Angeles Times that Ham is one of the most competitive people he’s ever met. Ham will be tasked with coaching LeBron James, Anthony Davis and Russell Westbrook, three future Hall of Famers.
“I’m sure if you talked to the guys that he played with, he was probably their favorite-teammate type dude. He was always so competitive,” Billups said. “He brought the heat to practice every day. Every time he got in the game, he just raised the level of play. He’s the man. Not one person would say anything bad about him. He’s that guy.”
The Lakers went 33-49 in 2021-22. They fired Frank Vogel on April 11 and hired Ham after meeting with Terry Stotts and Kenny Atkinson. Ham has been promised autonomy to select his coaching staff and also has received assurances that Kurt Rambis won’t be a regular presence in coaching meetings, according to Marc Stein of Substack.
James Loves the Hire
James is excited to work with Ham. The Lakers superstar took to Twitter after Ham was hired on May 27.
So damn EXCITED!!!!!!!! Congrats and welcome Coach DHam!! 👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾 #LakeShow💜💛
James put up incredible numbers in 2021-22. He averaged 30.3 points, 8.2 rebounds and 6.2 assists in 56 games. However, the Lakers missed the playoffs for the second time since James came to Los Angeles in the summer of 2018.
If James doesn’t sign an extension with the Lakers this offseason, he’ll become an unrestricted free agent in the summer of 2023. In February, James called the Lakers “a franchise I see myself being with” in the future.
Ham will be the fourth former player to coach James. The Akron Hammer has played for Paul Silas, Tyronn Lue and Luke Walton.