Darvin Ham was fired as head coach of the Los Angeles Lakers on Friday, four days after the team was eliminated by Denver in the first round of the NBA playoffs, the club announced.
Arriving at the Lakers two seasons ago, Ham, who leaves with an overall record of 90 wins for 74 losses in the regular season, pays for the poor performance of superstar LeBron James’ team eliminated Monday by Denver (4- 1).
To win the play-offs, the Lakers, despite a record of 47-35 at the end of the regular season, had to go through the play-off (play-In) against the New Orleans Pelicans.
Under his leadership, the purple and gold franchise won the very first NBA Cup (The In-Season Tournament) in December in Las Vegas after its success in the final over the Indiana Pacers (123-109). Ham also led it last year to the Western Conference final where it was swept by the same Nuggets, future champions.
“While this decision was difficult to make, it is the best course of action after taking full stock of the season. This organization will remain steadfast in its commitment to providing Lakers fans around the world with basketball competitive capable of contending for the championship title,” said Rob Pelinka, Lakers vice president of basketball operations.
Uncertainty LeBron James
In addition to the question of who will be hired to lead the team, the Lakers face uncertainty over the future of superstar LeBron James, a four-time NBA champion and four-time MVP of the season.
At 39, James, who has just played his 21st season, can terminate his contract or exercise an option worth $51.4 million (around EUR 48 million) which he can activate until June 29 for the season. 2024-2025. But everything suggests that he will want to come back in order to realize his dream of playing with his son Bronny James Jr in the big league.
After Ham’s departure, Rob Pelinka’s crucial mission will be to find a successor likely to revive the Lakers and bring together complementary players around James (25.7 points, 8.3 assists, 7.3 rebounds on average per match) and Anthony Davis (24.7 pts, 12.6 rebounds and 2.3 blocks).
Ham, a former championship-winning winger with Detroit in 2004, was an assistant coach with the Lakers from 2011 to 2013. He spent four seasons as an assistant coach with the Milwaukee Bucks, whom he helped win the NBA title in 2021, before being named in June 2022 to succeed Frank Vogel at the Lakers.
