The Los Angeles Lakers put an end to their coaching search on Friday night, hiring Milwaukee Bucks assistant coach Darvin Ham.
Ham, 48, has been with the Bucks since 2018. Although this will mark his first stint as a head coach in the NBA, it’ll be his second time around with the Lakers. He was an assistant from 2011-2013.
Shortly after the hire was announced, Lakers legend Magic Johnson shared his thoughts on the move.
“I’m excited that the Lakers just hired Darvin Ham as the coach,” Johnson tweeted. “Congratulations!”
According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, the Lakers were sold on Ham’s “history of coaching star players and championship pedigree as an assistant and player.” Additionally, they liked that Ham has history with the franchise.
There’ll be a lot of pressure on Ham since he’s coaching one of the most prestigious teams in sports. However, the Lakers seem very confident in his abilities.
Only time will tell if the Lakers made the right hire.