The Los Angeles Lakers will be led by the eighth different coach since 2010-11 next year, as the team fired Darvin Ham on Friday.
Ham led the Lakers through troubled waters to start the year to qualify for the NBA Play-In Tournament only to ultimately lose to the Denver Nuggets in the first round of the postseason.
Earlier in the year, the Lakers won the inaugural In-Season Tournament, but the Lakers went 3–10 in the games following that victory.
The Lakers under Ham made it to the Western Conference finals in his debut season with the team in 2022-23.
Ham, for his part, will get his paychecks from the Lakers for the foreseeable future even if his team facilities badge is denied access.
Ham was fired with two full years left on his contract. He signed a four-year deal at $5 million per year according to The Athletic, and the team will “assume” that, according to the report.
The now-former Lakers head coach’s contract was on the smaller side of NBA coaches. Steve Kerr gets $17.5 million annually, Gregg Popovich earns a $16 million salary, and Erik Spoelstra is paid $15 million. It’s unclear if the relative bargain Los Angeles had Ham played into their decision to move on and hire a new leader.
Ham is now free to pursue other opportunities in the coaching ranks, whether that be at the head coaching or assistant ranks, a capacity in which he worked for several seasons before being hired by the Lakers.
