“If I’d just ducked or tried to lean over, I wouldn’t be sitting here in front of you” - Darvin Ham on being shot when he was 14 years old, says he was out with his brother to get pizza

Darvin Ham is the new head coach of the LA Lakers. [Photo: Sports Illustrated]

The LA Lakers took their time and made a comprehensive effort to eventually hire Darvin Ham as their new head coach. He is expected to lead the franchise to a big bounce-back year after last season’s epic failure.

While the pressure from the outside looking in seems enormous, the 48-year-old former NBA journeyman is taking it in stride. He frequently recalls a single life-changing event from his childhood that has altered his view and approach about one’s life.

On the "All The Smoke" podcast, “DHam” opened up on the event that changed his life forever:

“So we out in the streets, mom and dad at the house. [They] Sent me and my older brother Duran to go get a pizza … So, we go get the pizza but we forgot the soda, so we stopped at this place called Al's Market. We get the soda, get out of there.”

Ham continued:

“They start clapping just hitting shots right? So I turned and looked toward the shots. And that's when I got hit. If I'd just ducked or tried to lean over, I wouldn't be sitting here in front of you all right now.”

He added:

“The fact that I turned and looked toward the shots, it ricocheted off my jaw, and they took it out the left side of my neck. I was in the hospital for about 11 days.”

Darvin Ham on the pressure of coaching the Los Angeles Lakers:

“I was shot in the face by accident in 1988. It made me fearless. I don’t feel no pressure, it’s basketball.” 💯 https://t.co/PD0Ag2xZLc

The LA Lakers head coaching gig is perhaps the most pressure-packed job Darvin Ham could have found. LA is known to be heavily followed by fans and the media. Add to that the fact that they had one of the biggest flops in NBA history last season and the pressure could be brutal.

Since his introductory press conference, it seems like Ham hasn’t missed a beat yet. He hasn’t shown any hesitation and has taken on everything that goes with the job with quiet confidence and bravado.

Darvin Ham was the best candidate to be the head coach of the Lakers. He was a champion as a player, a champion as an assistant coach, had experience coaching the Lakers and has the respect of the players. He checked every box the team had. Great hire.

Getting shot in the face and living to talk about it is something that often happens only in Hollywood. It was also a hellish experience for a kid from Saginaw, Michigan to go through but Ham seems to have become better because of it.

Jeanie Buss is proud of the Darvin Ham hiring

Jeanie Buss can't say enough good things about Darvin Ham. [Photo: Los Angeles Times]

Former head coach Frank Vogel wouldn’t have been the LA Lakers’ head tactician had things gone the way the team wanted. They reportedly wanted current LA Clippers head coach Ty Lue to call the shots from the sidelines.

However, there were things that Lue and the Lakers front office couldn’t agree on, so the team turned to Vogel. Despite being perhaps the third choice, the erstwhile Lakers coach managed to lead the team to the 2020 NBA title.

GM Rob Pelinka, this time, announced that Darvin Ham's hiring was unanimous. The claim could add more pressure to the new coach’s job but has not seemingly mattered to Ham.

"Ham was the unanimous choice." Rob Pelinka spoke with @Mike_Bresnahan about the front office's decision to hire Darvin Ham as the head coach. https://t.co/DeVNzu575z

In an interview conducted by Mark Medina, Jeanie Buss had this to say about Darvin Ham:

“I’m a big believer in Darvin Ham. When you’re at the Board of Governors meetings and governors say to you, ‘We interviewed your guy, you got a great coach.’ Or, ‘He worked for us, you got a great guy.’”

She added:

“His reputation around the league brings me a lot of pride to hear other people say how much they admire him. We got a really good coach.”

Is Darvin Ham the right head coach for the Lakers?

“There is a lot to like.”

@johnhollinger and @jovanbuha discuss the hire: theathletic.com/3358893/?sourc… https://t.co/QeNTAxR0DX

If the LA Lakers somehow manage to contend for the title next season, Darvin Ham's hiring will undoubtedly be seen as a key point to their success.