How did LA Lakers head coach Darvin Ham fare in his NBA career? All you need to know
Darvin Ham is just a few hours away from coaching his first NBA game. He may be a rookie coach, but his resume in the league is impressive.
Ham has been a part of the NBA for more than two decades. He played with six teams in nine seasons from 1996-2005. He's been coaching in basketball for nearly 15 years. He's also won a championship as both a player and a coach.
This article will take a deeper look at Darvin Ham's NBA career. It will reveal everything he's done in the league.
Darvin Ham's playing career began in Denver
Ham was a solid college player known for his ability to dunk. He declared for the 1996 NBA Draft, but went undrafted. The Denver Nuggets liked what they saw and signed him as a free agent in October 1996.
The 6-foot-7 swingman appeared in only 36 games for the Nuggets before he was traded to the Indiana Pacers in February 1997. When his contract expired, Darvin Ham signed with the Washington Wizards. It was his third team in less than a calendar year.
As a player, Ham averaged 2.7 points and 2.3 rebounds in 417 career games. He was far from being a superstar, but was a decent role player for a couple of seasons. The best season of his career came with the Milwaukee Bucks during the 1999-00 season. He averaged a career-high in points (5.1), rebounds (4.9), assists (1.2), and games started (21).
After the Bucks, the guard joined the Atlanta Hawks for one season. He spent the final two seasons of his playing career with the Detroit Pistons. Ham won an NBA championship with the Pistons in 2004. He appeared in 22 playoff games for the team during their title run.
Ham was a champion as a coach
Ham's coaching career began in 2008. He was hired as an assistant coach for the Albuquerque Thunderbirds. The Thunderbirds were competing in the NBA Development League, which was later renamed the NBA G-League. Ham eventually became the team's head coach.
He was hired by the Lakers as an assistant coach in 2011. During his first tenure with the team, Darvin Ham's primary role was in player development. He was on Mike Brown's staff for two years and worked with some all-time greats like Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol.
After Los Angeles, Darvin Ham joined the Atlanta Hawks. He helped them become one of the most dangerous teams in the East. Ham was Mike Budenholzer's assistant. He followed him to Milwaukee and joined the Bucks' coaching staff in 2018.
In his second season with the Bucks, Budenholzer was named the Coach of the Year. The Bucks eventually won the NBA championship in 2021, which was Ham's first championship as a coach.
The LA Lakers will open their season tonight against the Golden State Warriors. This will be Darvin Ham's debut as an NBA head coach.
Ham's job in Los Angeles will be very challenging. The roster is far from perfect and several players are dealing with injuries. On the positive side, the NBA veteran knows a thing or two about winning. His second tenure with the Lakers could be a pleasant surprise.