Lakers introduce Darvin Ham as new head coach; Hire Rasheed Wallace to coaching staff

The Lakers formally introduced the newly-hired Darvin Ham as their head coach at a press conference at UCLA Health Training Center Monday afternoon. 

Ham, most recently a member of the Milwaukee Bucks coaching staff, where he helped lead the Bucks to the 2021 NBA Championship, returns to the Lakers coaching staff after spending time as an assistant coach under Mike Brown from 2011 to 2013. 

This will be his first head coaching gig in the NBA, after acting as an assistant coach with the Lakers, Atlanta Hawks and Bucks since 2011, both under Mike Budenholzer's tutelage. He also coached in the G League from 2008 to 2011 as both an assistant coach and head coach of the Albuquerque/New Mexico Thunderbirds. 

Ham's hiring was first reported on May 27, and his contract is reportedly worth four years, though no monetary terms have been announced. 

"I think the sky is the limit," Ham said during the press conference. "We're not putting a ceiling on our situation. We'll go as far as our daily preparation takes us. ... We're going to get better every day, that's what we're going to do. And the things we're going to do in that daily process will lead to the type of success this franchise and this city has been accustomed to."

He'll look to send one of the NBA's winningest franchise back to the playoffs after they missed the mark in 2022, taking over the helm previously held by Frank Vogel, who was fired on April 11 after three seasons with Los Angeles - leading them to one NBA Championship in the COVID-shortened 2020 season.

In the 2021-22 seasons, Los Angeles finished 11th in the Western Conference, missing the playoffs and finishing with a sub-.500 record of 33-49, despite fielding a team of stars on paper with LeBron James, Anthony Davis, Russell Westbrook and Carmelo Anthony amongst the other players on the roster.

Ham is now the third Lakers head coach in just the last five years. 

"When someone begins his NBA coaching career at the G League level and goes all the way through playing an integral role on the front bench of an NBA championship team, it really speaks to a certain strength of character," said Lakers GM Rob Pelinka in a statement released on Friday. "Our players and fans will immediately identify with Darvin's no-nonsense and hard-working approach, which we feel will bring toughness and a competitive edge to all we do. When you add that to Darvin's sophisticated grasp of in game strategy and deep knowledge of the game of basketball, we have the ideal coach for this next chapter in Lakers history."

Lakers superstar LeBron James voiced his excitement over the hire via Twitter, stating that he was "So damn EXCITED" to welcome Ham to the team. 

The Lakers were also considering a slew of other candidates for the position, including University of Michigan head coach Juwan Howard, Golden State Warriors assistant coach Kenny Atkinson, Toronto Raptors assistant coach Adrian Griffin, former Portland Trail Blazers head coach Terry Stotts, NBA analyst and former coach/player Mark Jackson and fellow Bucks assistant Charles Lee. 

Prior to his foray into coaching, Ham saw success as a player in the NBA, spending time with the Denver Nuggets, Indiana Pacers Washington Wizards, Bucks, Hawks and Detroit Pistons - with whom he was a member of the 2004 NBA Championship team that took down the Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal-led Lakers, 4-games-to-1. 

In 417 career games over eight NBA seasons, Ham averaged 2.7 points and 2.3 rebounds in 12.4 minutes played. 

Additionally, the Lakers announced Monday that they planned to bring Ham's former Pistons teammate Rasheed Wallace onto the team's coaching staff. 

Wallace also ventured into coaching following an NBA career which saw him win one championship and earn four All-Star Game berths. Most recently he was an assistant coach with the University of Memphis Tigers. 

Both Wallace and Ham were known for their hard-nosed tendencies as players, something the Lakers hope can rub off onto their current roster.