Darvin goes ‘Ham’ in Lakers rant after winning two $500k prize NBA Cup finals

Bucks assistant HC Darvin Ham did not hold back when he was asked about the Los Angeles Lakers after recent NBA Cup win.

Darvin goes ‘Ham’ in Lakers rant after winning two $500k prize NBA Cup finals

Anthony Davis, LeBron James and Darvin Ham

Darvin Ham, the current assistant head coach of the Milwaukee Bucks has made rounds on the internet lately. Ham, who was the former Los Angeles Lakers head coach, endured a difficult time with them last 2023-24 NBA season. Despite the Lakers winning the NBA Cup and qualifying for the NBA Playoffs, he was sacked by the franchise.

Now, fast-forwarding to the 2024-25 NBA season, the Bucks recently overcame the OKC Thunder in the NBA Cup Finals to clinch the trophy. Ham seemingly played a huge role in the Bucks’ win and was ecstatic. However, he did open up on his ‘failed stint’ with the Lakers and surely took a jab or two toward his former team.

To do as well as I did, I swear to God, anywhere else I’m probably looking at an extension with what I did. 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… The best thing I could do was block out the outside noise.

Darvin Ham told Marc J Spears of the AndScape
YouTube video

Interestingly, the Lakers played excellent basketball under Ham in the second half of the previous campaign. However, there were rumors that their players, especially LeBron James, had lost faith in him and would ignore him. All said and done, the former Lakers coach is not at peace with himself having made a move to the Bucks as an assistant HC.

After just 26 games as an NBA coach, JJ Redick, Ham’s successor, has seemingly performed well so far this season, but he still has a lot to prove. Maybe Redick will be used as a scapegoat if Los Angeles falters once more, much like Ham.

Anthony Davis took a swipe towards his former HC Darvin Ham earlier this season

Earlier this season, the Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Phoenix Suns. Notably, Anthony Davis gave JJ Redick and his staff praise for maintaining team composure and preventing player fear. The Lakers changed their approach in the second quarter, despite the Phoenix Suns dominating the first one with ten three-pointers. Not only that, Davis also took a sly dig towards his former HC Darin Ham.

J coming into the huddle, halftime, just telling us, ‘We’re alright. Settle down. We know what we’re doing wrong. Turnovers. Transition. We’re getting good looks, just chip away…’ So, him not panicking, obviously, makes us not panic.

Anthony Davis told the media

In addition, Davis’ remarks subtly attacked former coach Darvin Ham. He claimed that Redick’s coaching changes and game preparation had a big impact. The club has embraced Redick’s tactics, as seen by their stellar success thus far under the rookie coach. Meanwhile, Ham has moved to the Bucks and will likely welcome new head coaching jobs elswhere in the future.