Milwaukee Bucks: Reactions to Darvin Ham landing LA Lakers job

Rumors have been swirling for weeks that Milwaukee Bucks assistant Darvin Ham may finally get a head coaching job this summer, and that has now come to fruition.

As first reported by ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski on Friday, the Los Angeles Lakers have officially hired Ham to be the franchise’s next head coach. Wojnarowski added that it would be a four-year deal for Ham, who is now officially a first-time head coach in the NBA. As for why Ham landed the job over others, Wojnarowski noted that the former head assistant’s “championship pedigree, his commanding presence, history of coaching stars and toughness” were all factors that helped him make a strong impression on the Lakers in their now concluded head coaching search.

Reactions to Darvin Ham landing the LA Lakers head coaching job

First and foremost, this is great news for Ham. The former NBA Champion has been in the mix for several head coaching jobs over the years, but he has just missed out on them. He has been listed with the top assistants for several seasons now, and he was beyond deserving of a head coaching opportunity in this league. The time has come for him to finally get that chance, and it comes via one of the most historical NBA franchises ever in the star-studded Los Angeles Lakers.

Looking at the job itself, Ham will certainly be under the spotlight when he lands in Los Angeles in the coming weeks. The former Lakers assistant will now be the leading voice of a franchise that houses no shortage of star power with names like LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and potentially Russell Westbrook, whether the franchise decides to keep him or trade him this offseason, which has been among the biggest talking points surrounding the team lately. Nevertheless, with names like that, Ham will have the opportunity to contend right from the jump next season, and perhaps his commanding voice is exactly what that team needs to bounce back after a tough season.

Losing Ham will be a considerable blow for the Bucks, considering that he was Budenholzer’s lead head-coaching assistant and that he was so well-liked in the locker room. Yet, it would be hard to be anything but happy for Ham at this point, as he finally broke through that barrier and got a great head coaching job. From Ham’s involvement in trying to stop a physical altercation between Marvin Williams and James Ennis III in the 2020 Playoffs to his efforts in the 2021 title run to his brief stint as Milwaukee’s head coach this past season while Budenholzer was sidelined, Ham will leave behind no shortage of fond memories with the Bucks after a sensational run over the years.

Once again, congratulations on landing the head coaching job with the Los Angeles Lakers, Darvin!

It will be fascinating to see Mike Budenholzer and Darvin Ham go at it as head coaches for the first time next season when the Milwaukee Bucks and Los Angeles Lakers eventually go head to head.