Darvin Ham is the new coach of the Lakers. 1:45
Darvin Ham was introduced as the Los Angeles Lakers'new coach Monday, with point guard Russell Westbrook standing off to the side in a show of support for the hiring.
After a rough first season in Los Angeles for the former league Most Valuable Player, Ham reciprocated that support.
"Don't get it messed up, Russell is one of the best players our league has ever seen and there's still a lot left in the tank," said Ham. People tend to write him off.
One of the most disappointing seasons in franchise history was experienced by Los Angeles after they traded for Westbrook. The Lakers went from being a preseason favorite to win the title to missing the playoffs completely and finishing 11th in the Western Conference.
Lakers vice president of basketball operations and general manager Rob Pelinka joined Ham for the occasion and expressed hope that he would become the team's 28th head coach.
Pelinka said that this is an incredibly bright and promising day.
After an eight-year NBA playing career and a stint coaching and working in the front office in the NBA's developmental league, Ham got his NBA coaching start in LA as an assistant on Mike Brown's staff.
This place will always be special for me because I got my start here. It's like coming back to my hometown.
After spending a decade on Mike Budenholzer's staff, Ham won a championship in 2021.
"As sad as it is for me to be leaving Coach Bud, sometimes you have to walk that walk on your own," he said, getting emotional as he talked about his former boss. We went from colleagues to friends to brothers.
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