Darvin Ham says he ‘navigated’ LA Lakers job well, but he failed for one reason

Darvin Ham says his Los Angeles Lakers failed because Nikola Jokic was playing at the highest level

The Lakers made the playoffs in both of Ham’s seasons, something that probably would have earned him an extension with any other team.

However, Ham was eventually fired by the Lakers in May 2024 due to a perceived disconnect with the locker room.

Ham opened up about his failed tenure with the Lakers and how he has no regrets because Nikola Jokic was simply too good to stop.

“My time there we did a lot of cleaning up. The roster was imbalanced, there was a lot that was going on between our star players, and trying to figure that out.

“We were able to get to the Western Conference Finals, I thought I navigated it well.

“I always tried to protect my players in the media. It probably wasn’t the case in our film sessions.

“We run into a buzzsaw in Denver who had the best player, playing at the highest level, even to this day, Nikola Jokic. I have no ill-will and no regrets.

“I just wish I had more time to see the program come to full fruition. I thought we laid great groundwork to get them back, to be legitimate championship contenders.”

The Denver Nuggets swept the Los Angeles Lakers en route to the 2023 NBA Championship

The Nuggets were dominant on their way to winning the NBA title in 2023.

The Nuggets beat the Minnesota Timberwolves 4-1 in the first-round before beating the Phoenix Suns in 6 games in the second-round.

Denver then swept the Lakers 4-0 in the Western Conference Finals before making light work of the Miami Heat in the NBA Finals, beating them in 5 games.

Jokic was the best player in the world and he was on an incredible playoff run as he captured his first NBA Championship and Finals MVP.