May 3 (UPI) — The Los Angeles Lakers on Friday fired coach Darvin Ham after just two seasons.
Since being hired in 2022 to replace Frank Vogel, Ham went 90-74 during the regular season and 9-12 in the postseason. He also led the Lakers to the inaugural in-season tournament title last December in Las Vegas.
Ham, who had two years left on his contract, seemed to have tight job security until the Laker’s 2023-24 season ended with their Game 5 loss against the Denver Nuggets on Monday.
“It’s been a hell of a two years, I’ll tell you that,” Ham said after Monday’s loss. “Sitting in this seat, it’s been a hell of a two years.”
The Lakers opened their 2022-23 season 2-10 before a complete overhaul of their roster leading up to the trade deadline, which helped push the team along before the Nuggets knocked them out of the playoffs.
The Nuggets then went on to win their first championship in franchise history.
The Lakers started 2023-24 off weak again at 3-5 after dropping three consecutive November games. After shuffling through six different starting lineups, the Lakers managed to finish the regular season 47-35, climbing to No. 8 in the West and setting up a playoff rematch with the Nuggets, which they eventually lost again.
“We greatly appreciate Darvin’s efforts on behalf of the Lakers and recognize the many accomplishments achieved over the past two seasons, including last year’s remarkable run to the Western Conference Finals,” Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka said in a statement.
“We all want to thank Darvin for his dedication and positivity. While this was a difficult decision to make, it is the best course of action following a full review of the season.”
Ham repeatedly pointed to injuries as the reason for the Lakers’ poor performance.
“You have all these talented players all along your roster, but to have a set nine, 10 guys, and you lose one, that’s one thing,” Ham said. “But to have two, three, four guys missing different points at times, it’s tough … Health is the greatest of wealth. And that’s pretty much it. You got healthy players, you can figure the rest out.”
Ham, who previously served as assistant coach for the Milwaukee Bucks, was considered a top candidate for the Boston Celtics‘ head coach in 2021, but the role eventually went to Brooklyn Nets assistant Ime Udoka.
Ham also was considered to replace Sacremento Kings interim head coach Alvin Gentry, who left in 2022.
