Notable update emerges on Darvin Ham’s future

Darvin Ham has settled in as an assistant coach for the Milwaukee Bucks, and it looks like that will remain the case for the foreseeable future.

Both the New York Knicks and the Phoenix Suns have been targeting Ham to potentially serve as their new lead assistant coach, veteran NBA writer Marc Stein reported Sunday. However, the Bucks are reportedly “determined” to keep Ham until he is able to find another head coaching opportunity.

The 51-year-old Ham served as the head coach of the Los Angeles Lakers from 2022-24, leading the team to two playoff berths and one Western Conference appearance. But he was fired following a first-round exit in 2024 and ended up becoming the lead assistant for the Bucks under head coach Doc Rivers last season.

Ham already notably was an assistant for Milwaukee from 2018-22, serving under then-coach Mike Budenholzer. Stein adds that the Bucks “love” having Ham back with their organization.

At this point, every single head coaching vacancy in the NBA has been filled (with the Knicks and Suns themselves recently moving to hire Mike Brown and Jordan Ott, respectively). As a result, Ham is almost certain to continue as the lead assistant of the Bucks for another season (or at least until the next round of NBA head coach firings occur).

It remains to be seen if Ham’s next opportunity will come from another team or possibly even from Milwaukee themselves (as Rivers is set to turn 64 later this year). Ham became an unpopular figure towards the end of his Lakers tenure (with some of his former players even taking parting shots at him). But it looks like he will get another chance to prove himself as an NBA head coach at some point down the line.