Darvin Ham is set to become an assistant coach with the Milwaukee Bucks. Stop us if you've heard that before.
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But if you have, there's a reason. It's because Ham was an assistant with the Bucks for four years before being hired to coach the Los Angeles Lakers. The Lakers canned Ham after this season, leaving him again out of work — though not for long. Per Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, Ham is returning to Milwaukee to work under head coach Doc Rivers.
Ham was fired by the Lakers after two seasons, compiling a 94-70 record overall, with a trip to the Western Conference Finals in 2023. Prior to joining the Lakers, Ham was an assistant with the Bucks (and ex-coach Mike Budenholzer) for four seasons.
He was part of the coaching staff with the Bucks when they won the 2021 championship. Several reports suggested Ham could join Budenholzer with the Phoenix Suns — but Ham is headed back to the Bucks instead. He also reportedly spoke to the Golden State Warriors about an assistant role.
According to Anthony Irwin of Lakers Daily, Ham lost the Lakers' locker room in the middle of this past season.
The Lakers were swept by the Denver Nuggets in the 2023 Western Conference Finals, then lost again to Denver in the first round of this year's playoffs. Meanwhile, the Bucks have lost in the first round of the playoffs in each of the past two seasons.
Ham began his coaching career with the Lakers as an assistant in the 2011-12 season, before spending his next nine seasons under coach Mike Budenholzer, first with the Atlanta Hawks and then with the Milwaukee Bucks, winning a championship in 2021.
"Ham had been highly sought-after this offseason as a top assistant coach and now lands back with a Bucks franchise that was injury-riddled in a first-round loss to Indiana this season,' Wojnarowski wrote. "He has strong relationships with key Bucks players, including two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo."
