Darvin Ham Calls Out Lakers in Epic Rant After Winning NBA Cup With Bucks

Ricardo Sandoval | 7 Hours Ago

Apr 14, 2024; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; Los Angeles Lakers head coach Darvin Ham talks to the media after the game against the New Orleans Pelicans at Smoothie King Center. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-Imagn Images / Stephen Lew-Imagn Images

Former Lakers head coach Darvin Ham called out the Lakers organization on Tuesday night after helping lead the Bucks to their first-ever NBA Cup title. 

Ham was not one to mince words. He called out L.A., saying that if he had done what he did in L.A. anywhere else, he would have received an extension. 

“To do as well as I did, I swear to God, anywhere else I’m probably looking at an extension with what I did,” Ham said. “I’m not talking about feelings. I’m talking actual facts. They go from not making it to the playoffs to the final four in the NBA, the conference finals. And then you win the in-season tournament, navigate through all the injuries and win both of your play-in games to get to the playoffs.

“People always talk about us losing to Denver, but they never talk about how we got to Denver. We beat a kick-ass young squad in Memphis and we beat Golden State.”

The Lakers fired Ham on May 3, a couple of days after the Denver Nuggets defeated them in five games. 

From the outside looking in, Ham was just fine in Los Angeles. He recorded a 90-74 record at the helm over two seasons and even did his part to help advance L.A. to the Western Conference Finals in 2023, their first appearance since the 2019-20 season. 

However, being eliminated by the Nuggets happened to be the final nail in the coffin for Ham's time in L.A. He made constant questionable decisions, from a personnel standpoint to a basketball IQ standpoint, and lacked the ability to make other basic and common adjustments in Los Angeles.

It was evident that the Lakers needed to get rid of him, not only because of his odd decisions but also because he had lost the locker room. Once you lose the locker room as a head coach, it's a wrap. That happened to be the case with Ham, which is why they parted ways with him and went with first-year head coach JJ Redick. 

Things are different in L.A.; getting to the conference finals is not enough. In Los Angeles, it is title or bust, and Ham fails to realize that.

Moving on from Ham was the right move from a schematic and personnel standpoint. The Lakers' problems go beyond the head coach, but in Ham's case, he lost the locker room, which no head coach could overcome. 

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