Darvin Ham

Darvin Ham
Born	Darvin Demonte Ham Sr. (1973-07-23) July 23, 1973
Occupation(s)	Basketball coach, former professional player
Years active	1996–present
Known for	Head coach of Los Angeles Lakers, assistant coach for Milwaukee Bucks, NBA championship winner as player and coach

Darvin Demonte Ham Sr. (born July 23, 1973) is an American basketball coach and former professional player, currently serving as the lead assistant coach for the Milwaukee Bucks in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He previously held the position of head coach for the Los Angeles Lakers. Ham’s collegiate basketball tenure was with the Texas Tech Red Raiders, followed by a nine-year NBA career spanning from 1996 to 2005, which included winning an NBA championship with the Detroit Pistons in 2004. His playing career also extended internationally, featuring periods in Spain’s Liga ACB, the Philippine Basketball Association, and the NBA Development League. As an assistant coach, he contributed to securing a second NBA championship in 2021 and an NBA Cup with Milwaukee.

College career

Following his graduation from Saginaw High School, Ham enrolled at Texas Tech University in 1993. While playing for the Red Raiders, he gained widespread recognition by breaking the backboard during a powerful slam dunk in the 1996 NCAA Tournament matchup against North Carolina. This electrifying play shifted momentum and helped Texas Tech advance to its inaugural Sweet Sixteen appearance. The iconic moment was even captured on the cover of Sports Illustrated.

In 1996, Ham claimed victory in the NCAA slam dunk contest, succeeding teammate Lance Hughes who won in 1995. Over his collegiate career spanning 90 games, he averaged 8.1 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 1.0 assists per game, while shooting .597 from the field and .498 from the free-throw line.

Professional playing career

Ham entered the NBA as a free agent signing with the Denver Nuggets in October 1996 before being traded to the Indiana Pacers in February 1997. His career also included stints with the Washington Wizards (1997), Milwaukee Bucks (1999), Atlanta Hawks (2002), and finally the Detroit Pistons (2003). Throughout eight NBA seasons and a total of 417 games, he posted averages of 2.7 points and 2.3 rebounds over 12.4 minutes per game, connecting on .518 of his field goals but making only four three-pointers in his entire career.

Renowned for his explosive dunking ability, earning nicknames such as "Dunkin Darvin" and "Ham Slamwich," Ham participated in the 1997 NBA Slam Dunk Contest and was part of the championship-winning Detroit Pistons squad in 2004. During his initial postseason run with Milwaukee, he started all five games of their first-round exit, averaging five points and 5.8 rebounds per contest. While with the Bucks, Ham inspired what became known as the "Hammer play," now a staple offensive tactic across NBA teams.

Ham took part in Basketball Without Borders initiatives twice: once in Johannesburg in 2005 and again in the Dominican Republic in 2015.

On January 17, 2006, he signed with the Philippine Basketball Association’s Talk 'N Text Phone Pals as an import replacement for Damian Cantrell. In three playoff appearances, he averaged 16.7 points before his team was eliminated after a five-game series.

In 2006, Ham worked as a studio analyst covering Dallas Mavericks playoff games for Fox Sports Southwest and joined Orlando Magic’s summer league roster. Later that year, he appeared in preseason action with the New Jersey Nets.

Ham was invited to Mavericks’ preseason camp again in 2007 but was waived in October. Shortly after, he was selected third overall in the 2007 NBA D-League draft by the Albuquerque Thunderbirds. In April 2008, he was traded to the Austin Toros.

Assistant coaching tenure (2008–2022)

Ham began his coaching journey in October 2008 when he was appointed as an assistant coach for the Thunderbirds, eventually advancing to their head coach position. By October 2011, he had joined the Los Angeles Lakers' coaching team under Mike Brown, where he concentrated on player development, working closely with stars such as Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol, and Dwight Howard.

In 2013, Ham became part of the Atlanta Hawks' coaching staff, playing a significant role in the team's achievement of four straight playoff appearances, including a run to the Eastern Conference finals in 2015. His efforts contributed to Atlanta winning a division championship and securing the top seed in the 2015 Eastern Conference Playoffs. Additionally, he supported four starters in earning NBA All-Star honors and fostered growth among younger talents like Dennis Schroder and Taurean Prince.

On June 7, 2018, Ham reunited with Mike Budenholzer by joining the Milwaukee Bucks as an assistant coach. During the 2018–19 season, Budenholzer earned the NBA Coach of the Year award while Ham played a key role in guiding the Bucks to their best record since 1972. In the 2020–21 campaign, Ham contributed to Milwaukee capturing its second NBA championship by defeating the Phoenix Suns in six games, marking their first title since 1971.

Second stint with the Los Angeles Lakers (2022–2024)

Ham was appointed head coach of the Los Angeles Lakers on June 3, 2022. Despite a challenging start with a 2–10 record early in his inaugural season, he managed to steer the Lakers into the playoffs as a seventh seed and advance all the way to the Western Conference finals—only the second time a seventh seed has reached that stage—before being swept by the eventual champions, Denver Nuggets. On December 9, 2023, Ham led the Lakers to victory in the first-ever NBA In-Season Tournament. The team once again qualified for the 2024 playoffs as a seventh seed but was eliminated in five games by Denver after failing to maintain double-digit leads in all four losses. Following this postseason defeat, Ham was relieved of his duties on May 3, 2024, concluding his two-season tenure with the Lakers.

Return to Milwaukee Bucks (2024–present)

On June 10, 2024, Ham rejoined the Milwaukee Bucks as lead assistant coach under Doc Rivers. On December 17, he secured his second straight NBA Cup, contributing to an undefeated 14–0 record in NBA Cup contests for the team.

Regular season

|- | align="left" | 1996–97 | align="left" | Denver | 35 || 3 || 8.9 || .525 || .000 || .485 || 1.6 || 0.4 || 0.2 || 0.2 || 2.3 |- | align="left" | 1996–97 | align="left" | Indiana | 1 || 0 || 5.0 || 1.000 || .000 || .500 || 0.0 || 0.0 || 1.0 || 0.0 || 3.0 |- | align="left" | 1997–98 | align="left" | Washington | 71 || 3 || 8.9 || .529 || .000 || .473 || 1.8 || 0.2 || 0.3 || 0.4 || 2.0 |- | align="left" | 1999–00 | align="left" | Milwaukee | 35 || 21 || 22.6 || .555 || .000 || .449 || 4.9 || 1.2 || 0.8 || 0.8 || 5.1 |- | align="left" | 2000–01 | align="left" | Milwaukee | 29 || 13 || 18.6 || .488 || .667 || .592 || 4.2 || 0.9 || 0.6 || 0.7 || 3.8 |- | align="left" | 2001–02 | align="left" | Milwaukee | 70 || 2 || 17.3 || .569 || .143 || .504 || 2.9 || 1.0 || 0.4 || 0.5 || 4.3 |- | align="left" | 2002–03 | align="left" | Atlanta | 75 || 1 || 12.3 || .447 || .000 || .481 || 2.0 || 0.5 || 0.2 || 0.3 || 2.4 |- | style="text-align:left;background:#afe6ba;" | 2003–04† | align="left" | Detroit | 54 || 2||9.0|| .493|| .500|| .600||1.7||0.3||0.2||0.1||1.8 |- | align="left" | 2004–05 | align="left" | Detroit |47||0||5.9|| .459|| .000|| .387||0.7||0.1||0.1||0.1||1.0 |- class="sortbottom" | style="text-align:center;" colspan="2"| Career |417||45||12.4|| .518|| .250|| .494||2.3||0.5||0.3||0.4||2.7 }

Playoffs

|- | align="left" | 1999–00 | align="left" | Milwaukee |5||5||28.8|| .647|| .000|| .333|| 5.8|| 1.4|| 0.2|| 1.6|| 5.0 |- | align="left" | 2000–01 | align="left" | Milwaukee |14||6||9.4|| .600|| .000|| .550||1.4||0.4||| 0.3|||0.5|||2.1 |- |- style="text-align:left;background:#afe6ba;" | 2003–04 NBA season† |- style="text-align:left;background:#afe6ba;" | 2003-04 Detroit Pistons season |- style="text-align:left;background:#afe6ba;" | Detroit |- style="text-align:left;background:#afe6ba;" |22 |- style="text-align:left;background:#afe6ba;" | |- style="text-align:left;background:#afe6ba;" | |- style="text-align:left;background:#afe6ba;" | |- style="text-align:left;background:#afe6ba;" | |- style="text-align:left;background:#afe6ba;" | |- style="text-align:left;background:#afe6ba;" | |- style="text-align:left;background:#afe6ba;" | |- style="text-align:left;background:#afe6ba;" | |- style="text-align:left;background:#afe6ba;" | |- style="text-align:left;background:#afe6ba;" | |- style="text-align:left;background:#afe6ba;" |- class=sortbottom |- class=sortbottom |- class=sortbottom |- class=sortbottom |- class=sortbottom |- class=sortbottom |- class=sortbottom |- class=sortbottom |- class=sortbottom |- class=sortbottom |- class=sortbottom |- class=sortbottom |- class=sortbottom |- class=sortbottom |- class=sortbottom |- class=sortbottom |- class=sortbottom |- class=sortbottom |- class=sortbottom |- class=sortbottom |- class=sortbottom |- class=sortbottom |- class=sortbottom |- class=sortbottom |- class=sortbottom |- class=sortbottom |- class=sortbottom |- class=sortbottom |- class=sortbottom |- class=sortbottom |- class=sortbottom |- class=sortbottom |- class=sortbottom |- class=sortbottom |- class=sortbottom |- class=sortbottom #-class=-class=-class=-class=-class=-class=-class=-class=-class=-class=-class=-class=-class=-class=-class=-class=-class=-class=-class=-class=-class=-class=-class=-class=-class=-class=-class=-class=-class=-class=-class=-class=-class=-class=-class=-class=-style=text-align:center; colspan = "2"| Career 55|||11|||7.|569|||.|000|||.|516|||.|212|||.|101|||.|303|||.|13

Personal life

Wilmer Jones-Ham, Ham’s mother, was the pioneering female mayor of Saginaw, Michigan, holding office between 2001 and 2005. At just 14 years old in 1988, Ham endured and survived a gunshot injury to his face and neck.

Ham is married to a fellow Texas Tech alumna. Their son, Darvin Ham Jr., competed in basketball at Northwood University and spent four seasons as an assistant coach there through the 2021–22 campaign. Beginning in the 2022–23 season, Ham Jr. joined the Cleveland Charge of the NBA G League as an assistant coach.

A devout Christian, Ham attributes his faith as a key factor in overcoming adversity, highlighting that his deeply rooted spiritual background fostered resilience and a sense of purpose.

In June 2011, Ham acted as a Sports Envoy under the U.S. Department of State, delivering basketball training sessions for disadvantaged youth in Venezuela alongside Kayte Christensen and interacting with local sports authorities. He subsequently led further clinics in Myanmar, marking the inaugural sports exchange sponsored by the State Department in that nation, aligning with SportsUnited’s goal of enhancing global understanding through athletics.

Head coaching record

L.A. Lakers		82	43	39		5th place in Pacific	16	8	8		Eliminated in Conference finals
L.A. Lakers		82	47	35		3rd place in Pacific	5	1	4		Exited in First round
Overall		164	90	74			21	9	12

External links

• Darvin Ham NBA biography
• D-League profile