Darvin Ham is recognized for having a successful and fulfilling career as a basketball head coach. He has been coaching the Los Angeles Lakers, a basketball powerhouse, since 2022, leading them to significant wins. Ham also played for the NBA as a forward and was once featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated magazine. So, who is Darvin Ham?
Darvin Ham Sr. is a professional basketball coach and a former basketball player, famously known as Darvin Ham. He is currently the head coach of the NBA team, Los Angeles Lakers. In his college days, he played as a small forward for the Texas Tech Red Raiders. Prior to his time at Texas Tech, he played in the NBA from 1996 to 2005, spanning nine seasons.
Darvin Ham Profile summary
| Full name | Darvin Ham Sr. |
| Nickname | “Dunkin Darvin ” and “Ham Slamwich” |
| Gender | Male |
| Place of birth | Saginaw, Michigan, United States |
| Date of birth | July 23, 1973 |
| Education | Texas Tech University Saginaw High School Otero College |
| Nationality | American |
| Religion | Christian |
| Weight | 109 kg |
| Height | 2.01m |
| Children | Darvin Ham Jr. |
| Profession | Basketball coach |
| @darvinhm | |
| @HamMuse |
College career
Darvin Ham was enrolled at Saginaw High School and later in 1993 he was enrolled at Texas Tech University. In college, he played basketball for the Red Raiders. He played as a small forward and he came to limelight when he did a slam dunk that shattered the background.
The slam dunk happened in 1996 in the NCAA Tournament playing against UNC. The dunk marked the first in history in the school and propelled his team to the NCAA Division I men’s Basketball Tournament. The dunk earned him a cover on Sports Illustrated magazine.
During the slam dunk competition in 1996, Ham emerged victorious after the 1995 win by Lance Hughes’. All through his college games in 22.9 minutes, he secured a record of 5.1 rebounds, 1.0 assists, 1.5 turnovers and 8.1 points.
Professional playing career
His professional career started on October 1, 1996, after the Denver Nuggets signed him to the team as a free agent. He was then bought in February 1997 by Indiana Pacers for Jerome Allen. In 1997 he signed as a free agent with the Washington Wizards and in 1999 he was signed by Milwaukee Bucks. Also in 2002 he was signed by the Atlanta Hawks and in 2003 he was signed by Detroit Pistons. He played a number of 417 games and made a record of 2.3 rebounds, 1.8 fouls and 2.7 points in 12.4 minutes.
In the 2004 NBA champion Detroit Pistons, Ham was a member and in 1997 he competed at the NBA Slam Dunk Contest. He was given the nickname “Dunkin Darvin ” and “Ham Slamwich” from his high-powered slam dunk. In the 2000 NBA playoffs that took place in Milwaukee, his first five games were lost to the Indiana Pacers with 5.8 rebounds, 1.6 blocks per game and 5 points.
In his game at Milwaukee, Darvin came up with the NBA offensive concept “Hammer play” that has been in use over the years. He was a participant of the Basketball Without Borders program at Johannesburg, South Africa in 2005 and took part in the Dominican Republic in 2015. He was recruited by Philippine Basketball Association on January 17, 2006.
For the team he only played 3 games that earned him 16.7 points during the 2006 PBA Fiesta Conference Playoffs. Darvin worked at Fox Sports Southwest as a studio analyst in 2006 for Dallas Mavericks playoff run coverage.in the New Jersey Nets he was featured in the 2006 preseason. In The 2007 NBA D-League, Ham was drafted as third overall by the Albuquerque Thunderbirds. Ham was later bought by Austin Toros on April 4, 2008.
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Coaching career
His coaching career began in October 2008 to Thunderbirds as the assistant coach. He was later appointed as the head coach for the team. He transferred to Los Angeles Lakers as the head coach in October 2011 under Mike Brown. As the head coach he worked with the late Kobe Bryant, Dwight Howard and Pau Gasol.
He became part of the Atlanta Hawks coaching staff in 2013. After working with Atlanta, he helped the team reach the playoffs four continuous times. In 2015, Ham helped them reach the Eastern Conference Finals. On June 3, 2022, he became the head coach for the Los Angeles Lakers. Darvin Ham together with Los Angeles Lakers won on December 9, 2023 for NBA In-Season Tournament the inaugural season.
NBA career stats
Legend
GP=Games played GS =Games started MPG =Minutes per game
FG%= Field goal percentage 3P%= 3-point field goal percentage FT% Free throw percentage RPG =Rebounds per game APG =Assists per game PG Steals per game
BPG= Blocks per game PPG =Points per game Bold Career high
† Won an NBA championship
Head coaching record
| Team | Year | G | W | L | W–L% | Finish | PG | PW | PL | PW–L% | Result |
| L.A. Lakers | 2022–23 | 82 | 43 | 39 | .524 | 5th in Pacific | 16 | 8 | 8 | .500 | Lost in Conference finals |
| Career | 82 | 43 | 39 | .524 | 16 | 8 | 8 | .500 | |||
Personal life
Darvin Ham’s mother is Wilmer Jones-Ham, the first female mayor of Saginaw and she served from 2001 to 2005. He was a victim of a gunshot but he survived in 1988 when he was only 14 years old. Darvin Ham is a married man to Deneitra Ham and also attended Texas Tech.
He has one son David Ham jr. who played for Northwood University. For four years he was an assistant coach for the team. Ham has identified himself as a christian and was brought up in a christian family.
How much does Darvin Ham earn as the LA Lakers head coach?
As LA Lakers head coach, Darvin Ham earns an estimated amount of between $3 million and $5 million. He signed with the team a four-year multi-million deal till 2026.
Fast facts about Darvin Ham
How many points does Darvin Ham have? Darwin has had 1,139 (2.7 ppg) points.
How much did Darvin Ham make playing basketball? He made between $3 to $5 million.
Who is Darvin Ham? He is a professional basketball coach and a former basketball player.
What happened to Darvin Ham? He was appointed as the head coach for LA.
Darvin Ham is a successful coach for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association. He is also a former basketball player for the Texas Tech Red Raiders. His career has grown over the years and continues to flourish, making him nothing short of the best.
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