Lakers Fireplace Coach Darvin Ham After 2 Seasons, First-Spherical Exit

The Los Angeles Lakers fired coach Darvin Ham on Friday, following the workforce’s first-round collection loss to the Denver Nuggets. Ham was 90-74 (.549) with a Western Convention finals berth, two play-in victories, and an in-season title.

Lakers normal supervisor Rob Pelinka knowledgeable Ham of the choice in a cellphone name a short while in the past, in accordance with ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.

Ham, who had two years remaining on his contract, is the primary Lakers coach to make the playoffs and never return the next season since Phil Jackson in 2011, in accordance with the Basketball-Reference database.

Lakers Half Methods With Head Coach Darvin Ham pic.twitter.com/or3Bx2mZ5w

— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) May 3, 2024

“We vastly admire Darvin Ham’s efforts on behalf of the Lakers and acknowledge the numerous accomplishments achieved over the previous two seasons together with final 12 months’s outstanding run to the Western Convention finals,” Rob Pelinka, Lakers vice chairman of basketball operations and normal supervisor, mentioned in a press release.

“All of us wish to thank Darvin for this dedication and positivity. Whereas this was a troublesome resolution to make, it’s the finest plan of action following a full evaluate of the season. The group will stay unwavering in its dedication to ship championship-caliber basketball to Lakers followers world wide.”

The 2022-23 Lakers began off 2-10 in Ham’s first season, then Pelinka overhauled the roster in a collection of strikes. Los Angeles traded Russell Westbrook to the Utah Jazz and added D’Angelo Russell, Jarred Vanderbilt, and Rui Hachimura to assist LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and Austin Reaves.

Darvin Ham went 90-74 with two postseason appearances, 9-12 in playoffs as Los Angeles Lakers coach

Final season’s Lakers defeated the Minnesota Timberwolves within the play-in event to earn the No. 7 seed and went on to upset the No. 2-seeded Memphis Grizzlies and sixth-seeded Golden State Warriors earlier than shedding to the top-seeded Nuggets.

As for this season’s Lakers, the workforce began 3-5 and later struggled throughout a 4-11 stretch following the in-season event championship. By mid-January, they ranked thirteenth within the Western Convention standings.

Los Angeles bounced again to complete the season 23-10, the fifth-best document within the league from Feb. 1 by way of mid-April. Through the play-in event, the Lakers defeated the New Orleans Pelicans to as soon as once more earn the No. 7 seed.

It was a disappointing season for one different logical purpose: James (71 video games) and Davis (76 video games) performed their most mixed video games since turning into teammates in 2018.

The Los Angeles Lakers have parted methods with coach Darvin Ham, and sources inform me and @jovanbuha an intensive search will start quickly, with candidates equivalent to Mike Budenholzer, Kenny Atkinson, JJ Redick and, if he turns into accessible, Ty Lue amongst others.

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) May 3, 2024

Within the Lakers’ first-round collection loss to Denver, they failed to keep up a double-digit lead in all 4 of their losses, together with a 20-point second-half lead in Recreation 2.

“It’s been a hell of a two years … I’ll inform you that,” Ham mentioned Monday after L.A. was eradicated. “Sitting on this seat, it’s been a hell of a two years. Plenty of good issues that acquired finished, however finally, you wish to win that final prize.”

“I couldn’t be extra happy with our crew regardless of the whole lot that occurred. Clearly, the collection didn’t go in our favor, didn’t begin the best way we needed it to, however to win that one at dwelling, our guys confirmed a variety of guts and a variety of character.”

Ham was the Lakers’ twenty eighth coach in franchise historical past.

Subsequent-coach candidates embrace Mike Budenholzer, Kenny Atkinson, JJ Redick and, if he turns into accessible, Ty Lue, in accordance with Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium.