Darvin Ham was on the Detroit Pistons championship team in 2004. He now is considered a top candidate to be the new head coach of the Los Angeles Lakers.
If you followed the Pistons during the ‘Goin to Work’ era and do not remember Darvin Ham, don’t feel bad, he was a deep sub, but he did play a bit. Now, he might be square in the spotlight, as he could be the new coach of the Los Angeles Lakers.
Ham was one of those ‘role’ players that top teams like to have. He did not play a lot for the 2004 Pistons as they won the NBA championship, but he did appear in 22 playoff games during that run (averaging five minutes). He played defense, a must on that team, and he could dunk.
A graduate of Saginaw High School, winning a title with the home state team had to be extra special for Ham, a 6-foot-7 forward.
He stopped playing in the NBA at the age of 31 after the 2005 season, as Detroit lost in seven games (darn Robert Horry!) to the San Antonio Spurs in the NBA finals. Ham eventually got into coaching, starting in the NBA as an assistant with the Lakers in 2011 under head coach Mike Brown.
With the Lakers firing Frank Vogel as coach at the end of the season, Ham has not only been rumored to be a candidate to replace him, but, according to some publications, is one of the frontrunners.
Ham being the coach is apparently OK with LeBron James, which is the first hurdle for any candidate. Ham, after a couple of years with Los Angeles, hooked up with Mike Budenholzer as an assistant, first in Atlanta and now in Milwaukee. Ham got his second NBA ring in 2021 with the Bucks.
Ham is also reportedly a contender for the Charlotte Hornets head coaching position.
Both NBA teams are taking their sweet time (which the media calls deliberate) so no final decision is expected soon.
Ham is one of those assistants who had an NBA career as a role player and then used what he learned to become a well-respected coach.
With all the personalities he played with on the Pistons (not to mention the Kobe Bryant/Metta World Peace/Andrew Bynum era Lakers as a coach), he should be prepared, as much as one can be, to deal with James, Anthony Davis and (if still on team) Russell Westbrook.
Ham would join Detroit native Willie Green (Pelicans) as Michigan natives coaching in the NBA. It appears at some point, if not soon, this will occur.