Darvin Ham lands top assistant coach job with Eastern Conference team

Nov 30, 2022; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers coach Darvin Ham at a press conference during the game against the Portland Trail Blazers at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Darvin Ham was fired as head coach of the Los Angeles Lakers last month, and he has now gotten one of his old jobs back.

Ham has agreed to a deal to join the Milwaukee Bucks as their top assistant coach under Doc Rivers, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reports.

Darvin Ham is joining the Milwaukee Bucks as the top assistant coach to Doc Rivers, sources tell ESPN. Ham returns to the franchise after spending two years as the Lakers head coach. He had been highly sought-after among teams this spring. pic.twitter.com/k0yZeVKo1t

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) June 10, 2024

Ham had drawn interest from several NBA teams for assistant coach jobs, but he opted for the familiar spot and a chance to contend in the Eastern Conference.

Before he was hired as the head coach of the Lakers in 2022, Ham spent four seasons as an assistant on Mike Budenholzer’s staff in Milwaukee. Ham was with the Bucks when they won an NBA title in 2021, and his impact on that team helped him land the Lakers job.

The Bucks stunned the NBA when they fired Adrian Griffin midway through his first season last year and hired Rivers. Milwaukee then struggled for stretches over the second half of the year and lost to the Indiana Pacers in the first round of the playoffs, though Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard were both hurt. Rivers will get another chance next season, and he’ll have Ham with him to help.

Rivers was said to be eyeing another big-name assistant to join his staff, but it is unclear if that pursuit will continue now with Ham in the fold.