Darvin Demonte Ham Sr. (born July 23, 1973) is an American professional

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...

coach and former player who is the top assistant coach for the

Milwaukee Bucks The Milwaukee Bucks are an American professional basketball team based in Milwaukee. The Bucks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Central Division (NBA), Central Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), East ...

of the

National Basketball Association The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada). The NBA is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Ca ...

(NBA). He previously served as the head coach of the

Los Angeles Lakers The Los Angeles Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Lakers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division (NBA), Pacific Division of the Western Conference (NBA ...

of the NBA. He played

college basketball College basketball is basketball that is played by teams of Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. In the Higher education in the United States, United States, colleges and universities are governed by collegiate athle ...

for the Texas Tech Red Raiders before playing nine seasons in the NBA from 1996 to 2005. He won an

NBA championship The NBA Finals is the annual championship series of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The Eastern Conference (NBA), Eastern and Western Conference (NBA), Western Conference champions play a best-of-seven series to determine the league ...

playing with the

Detroit Pistons The Detroit Pistons are an American professional basketball team based in Detroit. The Pistons compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Central Division (NBA), Central Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), East ...

in 2004. Ham also had a brief international experience in

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

and later in the

Philippines The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of List of islands of the Philippines, 7,641 islands, with a tot ...

, as well as in the NBA Development League in 2007 and 2008. As an assistant coach, he won a second championship in

2021 Like the year 2020, 2021 was also heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, due to the emergence of multiple Variants of SARS-CoV-2, COVID-19 variants. The major global rollout of COVID-19 vaccines, which began at the end of 2020, continued ...

and a second NBA Cup with the

College career

After attending Saginaw High School Ham went to Texas Tech University in 1993. While playing for the Red Raiders, he gained national attention by shattering the backboard on a

slam dunk A slam dunk, also simply known as a dunk, is a type of basketball shot that is performed when a player jumps in the air, controls the ball above the horizontal plane of the rim, and scores by shoving the ball directly through the basket with on ...

during the 1996 NCAA Tournament against

North Carolina North Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, South Carolina to the south, Georgia (U.S. stat ...

. The dunk shifted momentum for Texas Tech, catapulting them to the first Sweet Sixteen in school history. The dunk was featured on the cover of ''

Sports Illustrated ''Sports Illustrated'' (''SI'') is an American sports magazine first published in August 1954. Founded by Stuart Scheftel, it was the first magazine with a circulation of over one million to win the National Magazine Award for General Excellen ...

''. Ham won the NCAA slam dunk contest in 1996, following former college teammate Lance Hughes' win in 1995. In his 90-game college career, he averaged 8.1 points, 5.1 rebounds, 1.0 assists and 1.5 turnovers in 22.9 minutes, on top of .597 FG and .498 FT shooting.

Professional playing career

Ham was signed by the

Denver Nuggets The Denver Nuggets are an American professional basketball team based in Denver. The Nuggets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Northwest Division (NBA), Northwest Division of the Western Conference (NBA), W ...

as a free agent on October 1, 1996. He was then traded by Denver to the

Indiana Pacers The Indiana Pacers are an American professional basketball team based in Indianapolis. The Pacers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Central Division (NBA), Central Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), Ea ...

for Jerome Allen in February 1997. Ham then signed as free agent with the

Washington Wizards The Washington Wizards are an American professional basketball team based in Washington, D.C. The Wizards compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference. The team plays i ...

(1997),

(1999),

Atlanta Hawks The Atlanta Hawks are an American professional basketball team based in Atlanta. The Hawks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southeast Division (NBA), Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), Easte ...

(2002) and

(2003). In his eight-season 417-game NBA career, he averaged 2.7 points, 2.3 rebounds and 1.8 fouls in 12.4 minutes, on top of .518 FG shooting, though he was not an outside threat, making only 4 3-point field goals in his career. Ham competed in the 1997 NBA Slam Dunk Contest, and was a member of the 2004 NBA champion

. His powerful slams earned him the nicknames "Dunkin Darvin" and "Ham Slamwich", as a fan favorite when playing for the Milwaukee Bucks, that carried on into the rest of his career. In his first postseason in Milwaukee, Ham started all five games of the Bucks’ 3-2 first round loss to the eventual Eastern Conference champion

, while averaging 5 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 1.6 blocks per game. During his time in Milwaukee, Ham became the namesake of the "Hammer play", now a widespread NBA offensive concept. In 2005, Ham was a participant in the Basketball Without Borders program that was located in Johannesburg, South Africa and later in 2015 he participated in the Dominican Republic. On January 17, 2006, Ham was enlisted by the

Philippine Basketball Association The Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) is a men's professional basketball league in the Philippines, composed of twelve company-branded Franchising, franchise teams. Founded in 1975, it is the first professional basketball league in Asia ...

team Talk 'N Text Phone Pals as its replacement import for Damian Cantrell. He only played three games, averaging 16.7 points in the 2006 PBA Fiesta Conference Playoffs, as the Phone Pals eventually lost to Air21 Express in the series, 2–3. In 2006, Ham served as a studio analyst for

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's coverage of the

Dallas Mavericks The Dallas Mavericks (often referred to as the Mavs) are an American professional basketball team based in Dallas. The Mavericks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southwest Division (NBA), Southwest Divisi ...

' playoff run. He then became a member of the

Orlando Magic The Orlando Magic are an American professional basketball team based in Orlando, Florida. The Magic compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southeast Division (NBA), Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference (NB ...

summer league team in the Pepsi Pro Summer League from July 10–14, 2006. Ham later on appeared in the 2006 preseason with the

New Jersey Nets New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz * ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 ** "New" (Paul McCartney song), 2013 * ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator, 1995 * "New" (Daya song), 2017 * "New" (No Doubt song), 1 ...

. In 2007, Ham had a preseason stint with the Mavericks but was waived on October 24, 2007. He was then drafted third overall in the 2007 NBA D-League draft by the Albuquerque Thunderbirds. On April 4, 2008, the Thunderbirds traded Ham to the

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Coaching career

Assistant coach (2008–2022)

In October 2008, Ham was named an assistant coach for the Thunderbirds. He later served as their head coach. In October 2011, he became an assistant coach on Mike Brown's staff with the

, where he worked with

Kobe Bryant Kobe Bean Bryant ( ; August 23, 1978 – January 26, 2020) was an American professional basketball player. A shooting guard, he List of NBA players who have spent their entire career with one franchise, spent his entire 20-year career with t ...

, Pau Gasol, and Dwight Howard in a player development role. In 2013, he joined the

' coaching staff. He helped the Hawks reach the playoffs in four consecutive seasons including making it to the Eastern Conference finals in 2015. In 2014 and 2015, Ham was part of the coaching staff that led the Atlanta Hawks to a divisional title and the number 1 seed in the 2015 Eastern Conference Playoffs. Along with his help in bringing Atlanta to the playoffs, he also assisted four of their starting five into becoming 2015 NBA All-Stars. He also was heavily involved in the development of young players such as Dennis Schroder and Taurean Prince. On June 7, 2018, Ham followed

Mike Budenholzer Michael Vincent Budenholzer (born August 6, 1969) is an American professional basketball coach who most recently served as the head coach of the Phoenix Suns of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Budenholzer previously head coached the M ...

to the

, where during the 2018–2019 season, Budenholzer won the NBA's Coach of the Year award. Ham helped lead the team to its best record since 1972. In 2020–21, Ham helped coach Milwaukee to its second NBA title in franchise history, beating the Phoenix Suns in six games in the 2021 NBA Finals for their first championship since 1971.

Return to the Los Angeles Lakers (2022–2024)

Ham was hired as the head coach of the

on June 3, 2022. In his first season as head coach, Ham and the Lakers started off with a record of 2–10 before qualifying for the 2023 NBA playoffs as the 7-seed. From there, they reached the Western Conference finals, becoming the second 7-seed in NBA history to reach the conference finals, before getting swept by the eventual champion

. On December 9, 2023, Ham and the Lakers won the inaugural season of the NBA In-Season Tournament. They again qualified for the 2024 NBA playoffs as the 7-seed, where they lost in the first round in five games to the Nuggets, as they failed to protect a double-digit lead in all four of their losses in the series, including a 20-point second-half lead in Game 2. Following their playoff exit, Ham was dismissed on May 3, 2024, after two seasons with the Lakers.

Return to the Milwaukee Bucks (2024–present)

On June 10, 2024, Ham returned to the Milwaukee Bucks as their top assistant coach under

Doc Rivers Glenn Anton "Doc" Rivers (born October 13, 1961) is an American professional basketball coach and former player who is the head coach of the Milwaukee Bucks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). An NBA player for 14 seasons, he was an NB ...

. On December 17, Ham won his second consecutive NBA Cup, as his teams improved to 14–0 in NBA Cup games.

NBA career statistics

Regular season

, - , align="left" , 1996–97 , align="left" ,

Denver Denver ( ) is a List of municipalities in Colorado#Consolidated city and county, consolidated city and county, the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Colorado, most populous city of the U.S. state of ...

, 35 , , 3 , , 8.9 , , .525 , , .000 , , .485 , , 1.6 , , 0.4 , , 0.2 , , 0.2 , , 2.3 , - , align="left" , 1996–97 , align="left" ,

Indiana Indiana ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Michigan to the northwest, Michigan to the north and northeast, Ohio to the east, the Ohio River and Kentucky to the s ...

, 1 , , 0 , , 5.0 , , 1.000 , , .000 , , .500 , , 0.0 , , 0.0 , , 1.0 , , 0.0 , , 3.0 , - , align="left" , 1997–98 , align="left" , Washington , 71 , , 3 , , 8.9 , , .529 , , .000 , , .473 , , 1.8 , , 0.2 , , 0.3 , , 0.4 , , 2.0 , - , align="left" , 1999–00 , align="left" ,

Milwaukee Milwaukee is the List of cities in Wisconsin, most populous city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. Located on the western shore of Lake Michigan, it is the List of United States cities by population, 31st-most populous city in the United States ...

, 35 , , 21 , , 22.6 , , .555 , , .000 , , .449 , , 4.9 , , 1.2 , , 0.8 , , 0.8 , , 5.1 , - , align="left" , 2000–01 , align="left" ,

, 29 , , 13 , , 18.6 , , .488 , , .667 , , .592 , , 4.2 , , 0.9 , , 0.6 , , 0.7 , , 3.8 , - , align="left" , 2001–02 , align="left" ,

, 70 , , 2 , , 17.3 , , .569 , , .143 , , .504 , , 2.9 , , 1.0 , , 0.4 , , 0.5 , , 4.3 , - , align="left" , 2002–03 , align="left" ,

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georg ...

, 75 , , 1 , , 12.3 , , .447 , , .000 , , .481 , , 2.0 , , 0.5 , , 0.2 , , 0.3 , , 2.4 , - , style="text-align:left;background:#afe6ba;" , 2003–04† , align="left" ,

Detroit Detroit ( , ) is the List of municipalities in Michigan, most populous city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is situated on the bank of the Detroit River across from Windsor, Ontario. It had a population of 639,111 at the 2020 United State ...

, 54 , , 2 , , 9.0 , , .493 , , .500 , , .600 , , 1.7 , , 0.3 , , 0.2 , , 0.1 , , 1.8 , - , align="left" , 2004–05 , align="left" ,

, 47 , , 0 , , 5.9 , , .459 , , .000 , , .387 , , 0.7 , , 0.1 , , 0.1 , , 0.1 , , 1.0 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 417 , , 45 , , 12.4 , , .518 , , .250 , , .494 , , 2.3 , , 0.5 , , 0.3 , , 0.4 , , 2.7

Playoffs

, - , align="left" , 1999–00 , align="left" ,

, 5 , , 5 , , 28.8 , , .647 , , .000 , , .333 , , 5.8 , , 1.4 , , 0.2 , , 1.6 , , 5.0 , - , align="left" , 2000–01 , align="left" ,

, 14 , , 6 , , 9.4 , , .600 , , .000 , , .550 , , 1.4 , , 0.4 , , 0.3 , , 0.5 , , 2.1 , - , style="text-align:left;background:#afe6ba;" , 2003–04† , align="left" ,

, 22 , , 0 , , 4.9 , , .500 , , .000 , , .000 , , 0.6 , , 0.0 , , 0.1 , , 0.2 , , 0.7 , - , align="left" , 2004–05 , align="left" ,

, 14 , , 0 , , 1.7 , , .333 , , .000 , , 1.000 , , 0.2 , , 0.0 , , 0.0 , , 0.0 , , 0.3 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 55 , , 11 , , 7.4 , , .569 , , .000 , , .516 , , 1.2 , , 0.2 , , 0.1 , , 0.3 , , 1.3

Personal life

Ham is the son of Wilmer Jones-Ham, the first female

mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a Municipal corporation, municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilitie ...

of Saginaw, serving from 2001 to 2005. When Ham was 14 years old, in 1988, he survived a gunshot wound to his face and neck. Ham is married and his wife also went to Texas Tech. His son, Darvin Ham Jr., played for Northwood University, and was an assistant coach at Northwood for 4 years, through the 2021–22 season. As of the 2022–23 season, Ham Jr. is an assistant coach for the Cleveland Charge of the

NBA G League The NBA G League, or simply the G League, is a professional basketball league in North America that serves as the Minor league#Basketball, developmental league of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The league comprises 31 teams; as of ...

. Ham is a

Christian A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a Monotheism, monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the wo ...

. Ham has said, “First of all, I want to thank God. Coming from where I come from, I was raised in a household with strong, spiritual faith, belief in God and his Son Jesus Christ, so I want to start with that. Everything I’ve been able to overcome in my life, along with the people around me, it's been that spirit that was instilled in me as a youngster.” In June 2011, Ham traveled to

Venezuela Venezuela, officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many Federal Dependencies of Venezuela, islands and islets in the Caribbean Sea. It com ...

as a SportsUnited Sports Envoy for the U.S. Department of State. In this function, he worked with Kayte Christensen to conduct basketball clinics for 300 youth from underserved areas and met with Venezuelan sports officials. In so doing, Ham helped contribute to SportsUnited's mission to promote greater international understanding and inclusion through sport. He then followed up on these efforts and conducted a second set of clinics for more than 200 youth in

Myanmar Myanmar, officially the Republic of the Union of Myanmar; and also referred to as Burma (the official English name until 1989), is a country in northwest Southeast Asia. It is the largest country by area in Mainland Southeast Asia and has ...

. This was the first State Department-sponsored sports exchange with Myanmar.

Head coaching record

, - , style="text-align:left;", L.A. Lakers , style="text-align:left;", , 82, , 43, , 39, , , , style="text-align:center;", 5th in

Pacific The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean, or, depending on the definition, to Antarctica in the south, and is bounded by the cont ...

, , 16, , 8, , 8, , , style="text-align:center;", Lost in Conference finals , - , style="text-align:left;", L.A. Lakers , style="text-align:left;", , 82, , 47, , 35, , , , style="text-align:center;", 3rd in

, , 5, , 1, , 4, , , style="text-align:center;", Lost in First round , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career, , 164, , 90, , 74, , , , , , 21, , 9, , 12, , , ,

References

External links

*
NBA biography of Darvin HamD-League profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ham, Darvin 1973 births Living people 20th-century African-American sportsmen 20th-century American sportsmen 21st-century African-American sportsmen 21st-century American sportsmen African-American basketball coaches Albuquerque Thunderbirds coaches Albuquerque Thunderbirds players American expatriate basketball people in Spain American expatriate basketball people in the Philippines American men's basketball coaches American men's basketball players Atlanta Hawks assistant coaches Atlanta Hawks players Austin Toros players Basketball coaches from Michigan CB Granada players Denver Nuggets players Detroit Pistons players Indiana Pacers players Junior college men's basketball players in the United States Liga ACB players Los Angeles Lakers assistant coaches Los Angeles Lakers head coaches Milwaukee Bucks assistant coaches Milwaukee Bucks players New Jersey Nets players New Mexico Thunderbirds coaches Philippine Basketball Association imports Saginaw High School alumni Small forwards Basketball players from Saginaw, Michigan Texas Tech Red Raiders basketball players TNT Tropang 5G players Undrafted NBA players Washington Wizards players