Lakers’ Top Choice Was Juwan Howard Before Hiring Darvin Ham, per Report

Los Angeles was frequently linked to the Michigan coach throughout their coaching search.

The Lakers announced the expected hire of Darvin Ham as head coach Friday, officially ending their highly-publicized search for a new leader.

Ham, 48, emerged as the top candidate after L.A. gauged with several candidates following the firing of Frank Vogel on April 11. However, according to NBA insider Marc Stein, the former Bucks assistant was not considered the Lakers’ top choice for the position as the club reportedly preferred Michigan coach Juwan Howard, 49, during the interview process.

“According to the latest buzz in league coaching circles, Michigan’s Juwan Howard was the Lakers’ preferred candidate among the various coaches to whom they were linked who were under contract elsewhere and thus ultimately unavailable — ahead of Philadelphia’s Doc Rivers and Utah’s Quin Snyder,” Stein wrote. “The Lakers, I’m told, made such strong overtures to Howard that the implication was clear: The job was his if he wanted it.”

Howard, Rivers and Snyder–all of whom remain locked in multi-year contracts with their respective teams–were among the names frequently linked to the Lakers in the weeks preceding Ham’s hire. Five days before reports emerged revealing L.A. offered Ham the job, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported Howard was not interested in pursuing the role despite the team’s interest in hiring the 19-year NBA vet.

Although the Lakers never made Howard an offer, his decision to rebuff their overtures signals his desire to remain committed to his alma mater, where he will coach his sons, Jace and Jett, next season. Since returning to Ann Arbor in May 2019, Howard has compiled a 61–32 record, made consecutive NCAA tournament trips in the last two years and earned Big Ten Coach of the Year honors after leading the Wolverines to a regular season title in the 2020–21 season.