Darvin Ham fired by Lakers after two seasons as head coach
After another disappointing exit from the playoffs, the Lakers are reportedly parting ways with Darvin Ham as head coach.
The Lakers will reportedly part ways with head coach Darvin Ham, according to multiple reports. After being knocked out of the playoffs in just five games at the hands of the Nuggets for a second straight year, the decision felt inevitable.
Ham lasted just two seasons as head coach of the Lakers.
BREAKING: The Los Angeles Lakers dismissed coach Darvin Ham, sources tell ESPN. In two seasons, Ham was 90-74 with a Western Conference Finals berth, two Play-In victories and an In-Season title. Lakers lost in five games to Denver in opening-round. pic.twitter.com/33ck0Hgyu4
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) May 3, 2024
Lakers GM Rob Pelinka informed Ham of decision in phone call short time ago, sources said. After run to Western finals a year ago and winning 47 games this season, it’ll likely be Ham’s successor who’ll get chance to benefit from organization using major draft capital to upgrade…
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) May 3, 2024
The Los Angeles Lakers have parted ways with coach Darvin Ham, and sources tell me and @jovanbuha an extensive search will commence soon, with candidates such as Mike Budenholzer, Kenny Atkinson, JJ Redick and, if he becomes available, Ty Lue among others.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) May 3, 2024
The Lakers have fired coach Darvin Ham, a source tells the LA Times.
— Dan Woike (@DanWoikeSports) May 3, 2024
The team made it official shortly after the reports, including a statement from vice president of basketball operations Rob Pelinka as well.
The Lakers have made official the firing of Darvin Ham pic.twitter.com/7BafVaqNvf
— Jacob Rude (@JacobRude) May 3, 2024
While the Lakers again fought valiantly in a close series with the Nuggets, they ultimately exited the playoffs in a gentleman’s sweep and have lost eight of the last nine postseason games to Denver.
More than his exit from the playoffs, what really put the writing on the wall was the number of reports that came out in the immediate aftermath of the season's end.
Most relevant was the report that Ham’s job was in “serious peril,” which certainly proved to be true. That it got to this point was somewhat surprising considering that during the season, the Lakers were adamant that he was not on the verge of being fired and that his job was not in danger.
Along with that, though, were reports of the locker room not being fans of Ham benching D’Angelo Russell and Austin Reaves during the season. Similarly, the Lakers also weren’t thrilled at the public back-and-forth between Ham and Anthony Davis during the playoffs.
That all felt like nails placed around the proverbial coffin with the hammering all that remained.
Ham’s two seasons in Los Angeles were tumultuous. On one hand, he reached the Western Conference Finals and won the In-Season Tournament. On the other hand, many of the complications were laid out above.
During his sophomore season, specifically, it was a midseason stretch in which the Lakers lost their way and, ultimately, forced them into the play-in game. Much of the blame of that fell at the feet of Ham.
Along with that, his in-game limitations proved to be particularly frustrating and costly, too, whether it was gameplans or adjustments. That played out in the playoffs, where the Lakers led for roughly three-quarters of the series, had double-digit leads in the first four games and dominated first halves.
However, in all but one of those games, the lead evaporated and the Lakers lost. The manner of the defeat to the Nuggets certainly played into the decision to fire Ham.
Now, yet again in the LeBron James era, the Lakers are going to be searching for a head coach. After having gone both the proven route in Frank Vogel and the unproven route in Darvin Ham, it’s anyone’s guess what approach they take now. But searching for a coach for the third time in five years is an indictment on the front office.
This developing story will be updated as more information becomes available.
You can follow Jacob on Twitter at @JacobRude.