Former Los Angeles Lakers head coach Darvin Ham is still in shock he was fired by the team earlier this year. Calling the decision in a recent interview “crazy.”
The Lakers head into their game on Thursday night against the Sacramento Kings owning a 14-12 record and in the final play-in spot. It is not where the organization hoped to be a couple of months into the new season. It makes their decision to fire former head coach Darvin Ham all the more curious.
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While his firing didn’t stun the basketball world earlier this year, when looking at the details of his tenure, it may not have made that much sense. In his first year with the franchise, they finished 43-39 but made a deep run in that year’s playoffs. Last season they were ousted in the first round but won four more than the previous year.
Ham and the Lakers seemed to be trending up after his first two seasons as an NBA head coach. However, expectations are always high in LA. Especially with league legend Lebron James on the roster. Although Darvin Ham’s ouster wasn’t shocking to many around the NBA, it seems it still baffles the current Milwaukee Bucks assistant. And he recently revealed he thought his performance was even worth landing an extension.
- Los Angeles Lakers record (2024-25): 14-12
Davin Ham doesn’t believe Los Angeles Lakers respected his achievements as head coach
“To do as well as I did, I swear to God, anywhere else I’m probably looking at an extension with what I did,” Ham told Marc J. Spears about the “crazy” situation that was his firing. “I’m not talking about feelings. I’m talking actual facts. They go from not making it to the playoffs to the final four in the NBA, the conference finals.
“And then you win the in-season tournament. Navigate through all the injuries, and win both of your play-in games to get to the playoffs,” he added. “People always talk about us losing to Denver, but they never talk about how we got to Denver. We beat a kick-ass young squad in Memphis and we beat Golden State.”
- Darvin Ham record (Lakers): 90-74
He has a point. But he also seems to forget how his constant lineup and rotation changes exhausted players and likely turned them against him. But his firing is just the nature of being the head coach of a world-famous franchise.
Ham’s predecessor Frank Vogel was fired after just one losing season. Even though he guided the franchise to an NBA bubble championship in 2020.