Lakers Wanted to Hire 2-Time Champion over Darvin Ham: Report

Getty Darvin Ham

The Los Angeles Lakers officially hired Darvin Ham as their new head coach on June 3.

However, the former Milwaukee Bucks assistant wasn’t the team’s preferred choice.

According to Marc Stein of Substack, the Lakers really wanted to hire University of Michigan head basketball coach Juwan Howard.

“The most interesting thing I’ve heard while we wait for Ham’s official introduction is that, according to the latest buzz in league coaching circles, Michigan’s Juwan Howard was the Lakers’ preferred candidate among the various coaches to whom they were linked who were under contract elsewhere and thus ultimately unavailable — ahead of Philadelphia’s Doc Rivers and Utah’s Quin Snyder,” Stein wrote. “The Lakers, I’m told, made such strong overtures to Howard that the implication was clear: The job was his if he wanted it.”

Howard wasn’t interested in taking the Lakers job since he’s coaching his two sons, Jace and Jett, at Michigan. The two-time champion has a close relationship with Lakers star LeBron James, who played with Howard on the Miami Heat.

Lakers Praise Ham’s No-Nonsense & Hard-Working Approach

Ham agreed to a four-year deal to become the next coach of the Lakers. The former NBA player will be the 28th head coach in franchise history and the 24th of the Los Angeles era.

“When someone begins his NBA coaching career at the G League level and goes all the way through playing an integral role on the front bench of an NBA Championship team, it really speaks to a certain strength of character. Our players and fans will immediately identify with Darvin’s no-nonsense and hard-working approach, which we feel will bring toughness and a competitive edge to all we do,” Lakers exec Rob Pelinka said. “When you add that to Darvin’s sophisticated grasp of in-game strategy and deep knowledge of the game of basketball, we have the ideal coach for this next chapter in Lakers history. We could not be more honored and proud to name Darvin Ham as our new head coach.”

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 as an assistant coach and played with Detroit Pistons legends Chauncey Billups, Richard Hamilton, Rasheed Wallace, Ben Wallace and Tayshaun Prince.

Howard may have been a good fit with the Lakers, but Ham served as an assistant with the purple and gold from 2011 to 2013, so he knows what it takes to win in Los Angeles.

James, Billups & Al Horford like Ham

James, Billups and Boston Celtics big man Al Horford are excited the Lakers hired Ham. James took to Twitter after ESPN reported that Ham was hired by Los Angeles on May 27, while Billups and Horford commented separately.

“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 told Dan Woike and Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times. “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.”

Horford added: “Darvin is about as good a guy as you’re going to see. A big competitor. Extreme competitor. The Lakers are really lucky to have a guy like him. He’s the kind of guy that you want.”

The Lakers will hold an introductory press conference for Ham on June 6.