Darvin Ham was a failure in his two-year run as the Los Angeles Lakers’ head coach. He did not necessarily find a happy medium with the LeBron James-led roster.
Meanwhile, Los Angeles’ first-round exit at the hands of the Denver Nuggets in the NBA Playoffs this season was the final nail in the proverbial coffin.
Despite his struggles as a head coach, Ham gained respect during multiple assistant coach gigs earlier in his career. That included stops with the Lakers (2011-13), Atlanta Hawks (2013-18) and Milwaukee Bucks (2018-22).
Could Ham now land back on his feet shortly after being thrown out by the Lakers like day-old bread? It’s looking more and more realistic.
Related: Los Angeles Lakers head coach candidates
Charles Lee could bring Darvin Ham on to Charlotte Hornets staff
Coming off his stint as a Boston Celtics assistant, Lee was just hired by the Charlotte Hornets to replace Steve Clifford as their head coach. He’s now going to be filling out his coaching staff.
According to Evan Sidery of Forbes, Ham is a name to watch as one of Lee’s top assistants in Charlotte.
This makes a ton of sense in the grand scheme of things. Ham and Lee worked together with the Hawks and Bucks under then-head coach Mike Budenholzer from 2014-22. They obviously have a relationship with one another.
On a somewhat ironic note, Budenholzer has found himself as a top candidate to replace Darvin Ham as the Lakers’ had coach. That’s some full-circle stuff right there.