The Los Angeles Lakers have reportedly fired head coach Darvin Ham after two seasons, sources with knowledge of the situation confirmed to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski on Friday (May 3).
Ham, 50, was hired by the Lakers in 2022 after working as an assistant for the Milwaukee Bucks, which included the team's 2021 NBA championship season. The former a former journeyman small forward went 90-74 during the regular season and 11-12 in the postseason during his two years in Los Angeles.
The Lakers' decision comes days after the team was eliminated by the defending NBA champion Denver Nuggets in the first-round of the 2024 Western Conference Playoffs in five games.
"BREAKING: The Los Angeles Lakers dismissed coach Darvin Ham, sources tell ESPN. In two seasons, Ham was 90-74 with a Western Conference Finals berth, two Play-In victories and an In-Season title. Lakers lost in five games to Denver in opening-round," Wojnarowski wrote on his X account.
The Lakers finished the 2023-24 season as the seventh seed in the Western Conference despite LeBron James (71 games) and Anthony Davis (76) playing their most combined games since both became teammates in 2019.
"It's been a hell of a two years ... I'll tell you that," Ham said after Los Angeles' series-ending loss on Monday (April 29) via ESPN. "Sitting in this seat, it's been a hell of a two years. A lot of good things that got done, but ultimately, you want to win that ultimate prize."