Lakers have picked next head coach: Reports

An individual with data of the choice says Darvin Ham has accepted a proposal to be the subsequent head coach of the Los Angeles Lakers.

The individual spoke with The Related Press on Friday on situation of anonymity as a result of the deal has not been publicly introduced.

The 48-year-old Ham is getting his first head teaching job because the twenty eighth coach in Lakers historical past. He has been an assistant to Mike Budenholzer with the Milwaukee Bucks since 2018, and he performed a big function of their run to the 2021 NBA title.

Ham would be the successor to Frank Vogel, who was fired at some point after the Lakers wrapped up some of the disappointing seasons in NBA historical past by going 33-49 and lacking the playoffs.

The Lakers flopped regardless of one other spectacular season from LeBron James, who welcomed his new head coach on social media even earlier than the transfer was publicly introduced.

“So rattling EXCITED!!!!!!!!” James tweeted. “Congrats and welcome Coach DHam!!”

Ham would be the fifteenth Black coach at the moment within the NBA, essentially the most ever at one time.

Ham was a participant improvement assistant coach with Kobe Bryant’s Lakers from 2011-13 on the staffs of head coaches Mike Brown and Mike D’Antoni. Ham then had a five-year stint on the Atlanta Hawks’ workers underneath Budenholzer, creating a popularity as an efficient communicator with versatile tactical data.

Budenholzer’s staffs with the Hawks additionally included Taylor Jenkins, Quin Snyder and Kenny Atkinson, who all grew to become NBA head coaches.

Vogel led the Lakers to the franchise’s seventeenth title precisely 18 months earlier than his firing. He did not coax a profitable season out of a veteran-laden roster led by James, oft-injured Anthony Davis and newcomer Russell Westbrook, who had a dismal first season along with his hometown crew. Westbrook is underneath contract for an additional season with the Lakers.

Ham performed eight seasons within the NBA and received a championship with the Detroit Pistons in 2004 earlier than shifting into teaching in 2008. The Michigan native performed collegiately at Texas Tech.