Surprising Report About Former Los Angeles Lakers Coach Darvin Ham

According to Marc Stein of The Stein Line, Darvin Ham had an opportunity to be an assistant coach for another NBA team.

Apr 5, 2023; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (6) and coach Darvin Ham react against the LA Clippers in the first half at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports / Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Darvin Ham had spent the previous two seasons as head coach of the Los Angeles Lakers before getting fired last month.

Ham helped lead the team to the Western Conference finals in 2023, but they failed to get out of the first round this past season.

Recently, Marc Stein of The Stein Line reported that Ham had the opportunity to join Mike Budenholzer's new coaching staff with the Phoenix Suns.

Via Stein's Substack article: "League sources say Budenholzer made a run at trying to convince Darvin Ham to join his staff in Phoenix, but Ham — fired as Lakers coach on May 3 — is said to have understandably passed after two exacting seasons in Lakerland."

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— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) June 2, 2024

The Suns have an extremely talented roster led by Kevin Durant, Bradley Beal and Devin Booker.

In addition, Ham was an assistant for Budenholzer's staff with the Atlanta Hawks and Milwaukee Bucks.

Based on how Ham's tenure with the Lakers ended, the Suns could have been a great bounce-back opportunity.

Oct 19, 2018; Milwaukee, WI, USA; Milwaukee Bucks head coach Mike Budenholzer, left, talks with assistant coach Darvin Ham during the second half against the Indiana Pacers at Fiserv Forum. Mandatory Credit: Matt Marton-USA TODAY Sports / Matt Marton-USA TODAY Sports

While it appears as if Ham could end up taking the year off, it will be interesting to see where he ends up landing in the near future.

The Lakers were in a tough spot, and he did well during his first season at the helm.

Apr 3, 2024; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) talks with Lakers head coach Darvin Ham (R) against the Washington Wizards at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports / Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports

This past season, the Suns were the sixth seed in the Western Conference with a 49-33 record.

Budenholzer has also been the coach of the Atlanta Hawks and Milwaukee Bucks.

He led the Bucks to the 2021 NBA Championship.