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Darvin Ham

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Darvin Ham
Ham in 2021
Milwaukee Bucks
PositionLead assistant coach
LeagueNBA
Personal information
Born (1973-07-23) July 23, 1973 (age 51)
Saginaw, Michigan, U.S.
Listed height6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)
Listed weight240 lb (109 kg)
Career information
High schoolSaginaw (Saginaw, Michigan)
College
NBA draft1996: undrafted
Playing career1996–2008
PositionSmall forward
Number35, 31, 21, 8
Coaching career2008–present
Career history
As player:
1996–1997Denver Nuggets
1997Indiana Pacers
1997–1998Washington Wizards
1999CB Granada
1999–2002Milwaukee Bucks
2002–2003Atlanta Hawks
2003–2005Detroit Pistons
2006Talk 'N Text Phone Pals
2007–2008Albuquerque Thunderbirds
2008Austin Toros
As coach:
2008–2010Albuquerque Thunderbirds (assistant)
2010–2011New Mexico Thunderbirds
2011–2013Los Angeles Lakers (assistant)
2013–2018Atlanta Hawks (assistant)
2018–2022Milwaukee Bucks (assistant)
2022–2024Los Angeles Lakers
2024–presentMilwaukee Bucks (lead assistant)
Career highlights and awards
As player:

As head coach:

As assistant coach:

Career NBA statistics
Points1,139 (2.7 ppg)
Rebounds963 (2.3 rpg)
Assists229 (0.5 apg)
Stats at NBA.com Edit this at Wikidata
Stats at Basketball Reference Edit this at Wikidata

Darvin Ham Sr. (born July 23, 1973) is an American professional basketball coach and former player who is the top assistant coach for the Milwaukee Bucks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He previously served as the head coach of the Los Angeles Lakers of the NBA. He played college basketball for the Texas Tech Red Raiders before playing nine seasons in the NBA from 1996 to 2005. He won an NBA championship playing with the Detroit Pistons in 2004. Ham also had a brief international experience in Spain and later in the Philippines, as well as in the NBA Development League in 2007 and 2008. As an assistant coach, he won a second championship in 2021 with the Milwaukee Bucks.

College career

[edit]

After attending Saginaw High School Ham went to Texas Tech University in 1993. While playing for the Red Raiders, he gained national attention by shattering the backboard on a slam dunk during the 1996 NCAA Tournament against North Carolina. The dunk shifted momentum for Texas Tech, catapulting them to the first Sweet Sixteen in school history. The dunk was featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated.[1]

Ham won the NCAA slam dunk contest in 1996, following former college teammate Lance Hughes' win in 1995. In his 90-game college career, he averaged 8.1 points, 5.1 rebounds, 1.0 assists and 1.5 turnovers in 22.9 minutes, on top of .597 FG and .498 FT shooting.[2]

Professional playing career

[edit]
Ham in 2005

Ham was signed by the Denver Nuggets as a free agent on October 1, 1996. He was then traded by Denver[3] to the Indiana Pacers for Jerome Allen in February 1997. Ham then signed as free agent with the Washington Wizards (1997), Milwaukee Bucks (1999), Atlanta Hawks (2002) and Detroit Pistons (2003). In his eight-season 417-game NBA career, he averaged 2.7 points, 2.3 rebounds and 1.8 fouls in 12.4 minutes, on top of .518 FG shooting, though he was not an outside threat, making only 4 3-point field goals in his career.

Ham competed in the 1997 NBA Slam Dunk Contest, and was a member of the 2004 NBA champion Detroit Pistons. His powerful slams earned him the nicknames "Dunkin Darvin" and "Ham Slamwich", as a fan favorite when playing for the Milwaukee Bucks, that carried on into the rest of his career. In his first postseason in Milwaukee, Ham started all five games of the Bucks’ 3-2 first round loss to the eventual Eastern Conference champion Indiana Pacers, while averaging 5 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 1.6 blocks per game.[4] During his time in Milwaukee, Ham became the namesake of the "Hammer play", now a widespread NBA offensive concept.[5]

In 2005, Ham was a participant in the Basketball Without Borders program that was located in Johannesburg, South Africa[6] and later in 2015 he participated in the Dominican Republic.

On January 17, 2006, Ham was enlisted by the Philippine Basketball Association team Talk 'N Text Phone Pals as its replacement import for Damian Cantrell.[7] He only played three games, averaging 16.7 points in the 2006 PBA Fiesta Conference Playoffs, as the Phone Pals eventually lost to Air21 Express in the series, 2–3.[8]

In 2006, Ham served as a studio analyst for Fox Sports Southwest's coverage of the Dallas Mavericks' playoff run. He then became a member of the Orlando Magic summer league team in the Pepsi Pro Summer League from July 10–14, 2006. Ham later on appeared in the 2006 preseason with the New Jersey Nets.

In 2007, Ham had a preseason stint with the Mavericks but was waived on October 24, 2007.[9][10] He was then drafted third overall in the 2007 NBA D-League draft by the Albuquerque Thunderbirds.[11] On April 4, 2008, the Thunderbirds traded Ham to the Austin Toros.[12]

Coaching career

[edit]

Assistant coach (2008–2022)

[edit]

In October 2008, Ham was named an assistant coach for the Thunderbirds.[13] He later served as their head coach. In October 2011, he became an assistant coach on Mike Brown's staff with the Los Angeles Lakers, where he worked with Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol, and Dwight Howard in a player development role.[14]

In 2013, he joined the Atlanta Hawks' coaching staff.[15] He helped the Hawks reach the playoffs in four consecutive seasons including making it to the Eastern Conference finals in 2015. In 2014 and 2015, Ham was part of the coaching staff that led the Atlanta Hawks to a divisional title and the number 1 seed in the 2015 Eastern Conference Playoffs. Along with his help in bringing Atlanta to the playoffs, he also assisted four of their starting five into becoming 2015 NBA All-Stars. He also was heavily involved in the development of young players such as Dennis Schroder and Taurean Prince.

On June 7, 2018, Ham followed Mike Budenholzer to the Milwaukee Bucks,[16][17] where during the 2018–2019 season, Budenholzer won the NBA's Coach of the Year award. Ham helped lead the team to its best record since 1972. In 2020–21, Ham helped coach Milwaukee to its second NBA title in franchise history, beating the Phoenix Suns in six games in the 2021 NBA Finals for their first championship since 1971.

Return to the Los Angeles Lakers (2022–2024)

[edit]

Ham was hired as the head coach of the Los Angeles Lakers on June 3, 2022.[18] In his first season as head coach, Ham and the Lakers started off with a record of 2–10 before qualifying for the 2023 NBA playoffs as the 7-seed. From there, they reached the Western Conference finals, becoming the second 7-seed in NBA history to reach the conference finals, before getting swept by the eventual champion Denver Nuggets.[19] On December 9, 2023, Ham and the Lakers won the inaugural season of the NBA In-Season Tournament. They again qualified for the 2024 NBA playoffs as the 7-seed, where they lost in the first round in five games to the Nuggets, as they failed to protect a double-digit lead in all four of their losses in the series, including a 20-point second-half lead in Game 2.[20] Following their playoff exit, Ham was dismissed on May 3, 2024, after two seasons with the Lakers.[21][22]

Return to the Milwaukee Bucks (2024–present)

[edit]

On June 10, 2024, Ham returned to the Milwaukee Bucks as their top assistant coach under Doc Rivers.[23]

NBA career statistics

[edit]
Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game
 FG%  Field goal percentage  3P%  3-point field goal percentage  FT%  Free throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game  APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game
 BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game  Bold  Career high
 †  Won an NBA championship

Regular season

[edit]
Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
1996–97 Denver 35 3 8.9 .525 .000 .485 1.6 0.4 0.2 0.2 2.3
1996–97 Indiana 1 0 5.0 1.000 .000 .500 0.0 0.0 1.0 0.0 3.0
1997–98 Washington 71 3 8.9 .529 .000 .473 1.8 0.2 0.3 0.4 2.0
1999–00 Milwaukee 35 21 22.6 .555 .000 .449 4.9 1.2 0.8 0.8 5.1
2000–01 Milwaukee 29 13 18.6 .488 .667 .592 4.2 0.9 0.6 0.7 3.8
2001–02 Milwaukee 70 2 17.3 .569 .143 .504 2.9 1.0 0.4 0.5 4.3
2002–03 Atlanta 75 1 12.3 .447 .000 .481 2.0 0.5 0.2 0.3 2.4
2003–04† Detroit 54 2 9.0 .493 .500 .600 1.7 0.3 0.2 0.1 1.8
2004–05 Detroit 47 0 5.9 .459 .000 .387 0.7 0.1 0.1 0.1 1.0
Career 417 45 12.4 .518 .250 .494 2.3 0.5 0.3 0.4 2.7

Playoffs

[edit]
Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
1999–00 Milwaukee 5 5 28.8 .647 .000 .333 5.8 1.4 0.2 1.6 5.0
2000–01 Milwaukee 14 6 9.4 .600 .000 .550 1.4 0.4 0.3 0.5 2.1
2003–04† Detroit 22 0 4.9 .500 .000 .000 0.6 0.0 0.1 0.2 0.7
2004–05 Detroit 14 0 1.7 .333 .000 1.000 0.2 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.3
Career 55 11 7.4 .569 .000 .516 1.2 0.2 0.1 0.3 1.3

Personal life

[edit]

Ham is the son of Wilmer Jones-Ham, the first female mayor of Saginaw, serving from 2001 to 2005.[24] When Ham was 14 years old, in 1988, he survived a gunshot wound to his face and neck.[25]

Ham is married and his wife also went to Texas Tech.[26]

His son, Darvin Ham Jr., played for Northwood University, and was an assistant coach at Northwood for 4 years, through the 2021–22 season.[27][28][29] As of the 2022–23 season, Ham Jr. is an assistant coach for the Cleveland Charge of the NBA G League.[30]

Ham is a Christian. Ham has said, “First of all, I want to thank God. Coming from where I come from, I was raised in a household with strong, spiritual faith, belief in God and his Son Jesus Christ, so I want to start with that. Everything I’ve been able to overcome in my life, along with the people around me, it's been that spirit that was instilled in me as a youngster.”[31]

In June 2011, Ham traveled to Venezuela as a SportsUnited Sports Envoy for the U.S. Department of State. In this function, he worked with Kayte Christensen to conduct basketball clinics for 300 youth from underserved areas and met with Venezuelan sports officials. In so doing, Ham helped contribute to SportsUnited's mission to promote greater international understanding and inclusion through sport.[32] He then followed up on these efforts and conducted a second set of clinics for more than 200 youth in Myanmar. This was the first State Department-sponsored sports exchange with Myanmar.[33]

Head coaching record

[edit]
Legend
Regular season G Games coached W Games won L Games lost W–L % Win–loss %
Playoffs PG Playoff games PW Playoff wins PL Playoff losses PW–L % Playoff win–loss %
Team Year G W L W–L% Finish PG PW PL PW–L% Result
L.A. Lakers 2022–23 82 43 39 .524 5th in Pacific 16 8 8 .500 Lost in Conference finals
L.A. Lakers 2023–24 82 47 35 .573 3rd in Pacific 5 1 4 .200 Lost in First round
Career 164 90 74 .549   21 9 12 .429  

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Darvin Ham continues to relish Texas Tech roots". lubbockonline.com Retrieved on July 17, 2021.
  2. ^ Darvin Ham NBA & ABA Statistics. Basketball-Reference.com. Retrieved on November 22, 2011.
  3. ^ "Darvin Ham career stats". TSN. Archived from the original on September 10, 2011.
  4. ^ 2000 NBA Eastern Conference First Round Bucks vs. Pacers
  5. ^ Falk, Ben (October 27, 2017). "Friday Film: Hammer, Marc, Weak". Cleaning the Glass. Retrieved October 21, 2021.
  6. ^ Harvey, Mark (2017). Celebrity Influence: Politics, Persuasion, and Issue-based Advocacy. University Press of Kansas. p. 164. ISBN 9780700624980.
  7. ^ Pals take former Piston [dead link]
  8. ^ Leongson, Randolph (May 28, 2022). "LOOKBACK: The PBA stint of incoming Lakers coach Darvin Ham". Spin.ph. Retrieved May 28, 2022.
  9. ^ "Mavericks waive Ham and Newson". Yahoo!. October 24, 2007. Archived from the original on October 27, 2007. Retrieved November 10, 2007.
  10. ^ "Darvin Ham game log". NBA. Archived from the original on May 1, 2008.
  11. ^ Murrieta, J. P (November 1, 2007). "Albuquerque Thunderbirds draft Texas Tech product". KOB.com. Archived from the original on September 23, 2021. Retrieved November 10, 2007.
  12. ^ Thunderbirds trade their #1 draft pick Archived January 12, 2016, at the Wayback Machine. Kob.com. Retrieved on November 22, 2011.
  13. ^ The Albuquerque Thunderbirds Welcome Their 2008–2009 Coaching Staff Archived December 17, 2009, at the Wayback Machine. Nba.com (November 27, 2009). Retrieved on November 22, 2011.
  14. ^ Lakers hire Darvin Ham, espn.com
  15. ^ "Darvin Ham Returns to Hawks Organization as Assistant Coach - THE OFFICIAL SITE OF THE ATLANTA HAWKS". www.nba.com.
  16. ^ "Bucks Name Assistant Coaching Staff". NBA.com. June 7, 2018. Retrieved June 7, 2018.
  17. ^ "Milwaukee Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer fills staff with ex-Hawks". NBA.com. June 7, 2018. Retrieved June 7, 2018.
  18. ^ "Lakers Announce Hiring of Darvin Ham as Head Coach". NBA.com. June 3, 2022. Retrieved June 3, 2022.
  19. ^ Zillgitt, Jeff. "Darvin Ham out as Lakers coach after two seasons, per reports". usatoday.com. Retrieved May 3, 2024.
  20. ^ McMenamin, Dave. "Lakers fire coach Darvin Ham after 2 seasons, sources tell ESPN". abc30.com. Retrieved May 3, 2024.
  21. ^ "Lakers part ways with coach Darvin Ham after 2 seasons". NBA.com. May 3, 2024. Retrieved May 3, 2024.
  22. ^ Dave McMenamin (May 3, 2024). "Lakers fire head coach Darvin Ham after 2 seasons". ESPN.com. Retrieved May 3, 2024.
  23. ^ Joseph Zucker (June 10, 2024). "NBA Rumors: Ex-Lakers HC Darvin Ham Joining Doc Rivers' Bucks Staff as Top Assistant". syndication.bleacherreport.com.
  24. ^ Saginaw Government website Archived April 23, 2016, at the Wayback Machine. Saginaw-mi.com (November 12, 2001). Retrieved on November 22, 2011.
  25. ^ Woike, Dan (December 11, 2022). "Darvin Ham survived the streets, a stray bullet and intense grief to coach the Lakers". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on December 28, 2023. Retrieved December 29, 2023.
  26. ^ "Faces In The Crowd: Darvin Ham - Texas Tech University - Texas Tech Athletics". www.texastech.com. Archived from the original on February 3, 2012. Retrieved February 16, 2012.
  27. ^ Bridgeport senior Darvin Ham gives verbal commitment to play basketball for Northwood University – MLive.com. Highschoolsports.mlive.com (February 23, 2010). Retrieved on November 22, 2011.
  28. ^ "Former Bridgeport star Darvin Ham develops into versatile forward for Northwood". February 7, 2012.
  29. ^ "Assistant Coach Darvin Ham". Northwood University Athletics. Retrieved April 21, 2022.
  30. ^ "Charge Finalize Coaching Staff for 2022-23 Season". Charge Basketball. Retrieved November 28, 2022.
  31. ^ Claybourn, Cole (June 7, 2022). "New Los Angeles Lakers coach Darvin Ham: God is 'the master of all plans'". Sports Spectrum. Retrieved June 8, 2022.
  32. ^ "Basketball Players to Visit Venezuela as Sports Envoys | IIP Digital". iipdigital.usembassy.gov. Retrieved May 1, 2016.
  33. ^ "US sends basketball players to Burma". The Telegraph. August 26, 2012. Retrieved May 1, 2016.
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