As the Los Angeles Lakers’ 2023-24 season went along, some fans believed it was increasingly inevitable that head coach Darvin Ham would be fired. Those same fans blamed Ham for virtually all of the team’s shortcomings.
Despite being expected to compete for the NBA championship when the season started, the Lakers finished with a modest 47-35 record and were dismissed from the first round of the playoffs by the Denver Nuggets. They had gone all the way to the Western Conference finals a year ago.
On Friday, it happened: Ham was fired by the Purple and Gold after two seasons with the team.
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. pic.twitter.com/33ck0Hgyu4
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) May 3, 2024
Reportedly, it wasn’t just Ham who was dismissed — every member of his staff was also given a pink slip. That included assistant Phil Handy, a highly regarded player development coach who was popular among players and fans.