A predictable move was made by the Los Angeles Lakers on Friday as they fired head coach Darvin Ham. The Lakers were recently eliminated from the playoffs as they lost in five games against the Denver Nuggets. Ham has been the coach of the Lakers for the past two seasons, and they had two mediocre years, going to the play-in tournament in each. After the way this season went, it seemed likely that Los Angeles was going to make to this move.

“We greatly appreciate Darvin Ham's efforts on behalf of the Lakers and recognize the many accomplishments achieved over the past two seasons including last year's remarkable run to the Western Conference finals,” Lakers vice president of basketball operations and general manager Rob Pelinka said in a statement, according to ESPN. “We all want to thank Darvin for this dedication and positivity. While this was a difficult decision to make, it is the best course of action following a full review of the season. The organization will remain unwavering in its commitment to deliver championship-caliber basketball to Lakers fans around the world.”

Now that Darvin Ham is done with the Lakers, people are wondering what the next chapter of his coaching career will look like. This was his first NBA head coaching job, and despite having one of the best players of all time, it didn't go very well. Still, Ham is expected to be a head coaching candidate in the future, according to Adrian Wojnarowski.

“Darvin Ham is expected to be a head coaching candidate elsewhere in this league whether it's in this cycle or the future,” Adrain Wojnarowski said on ESPN. 

Darvin Ham's coaching background

Los Angeles Lakers head coach Darvin Ham (R) and assistant coach Chris Jent (L) gesture in the fourth quarter against the Denver Nuggets during game five of the first round for the 2024 NBA playoffs at Ball Arena.
© Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports

The Lakers job was Darvin Ham's first time being a head coach in the NBA, but he has been coaching the game of basketball since 2008. He got his start with the Albuquerque Thunderbirds as an assistant, and he got his first head coaching job a couple years later with the same team, but they changed their name to the New Mexico Thunderbirds.

After being the head coach of the Thunderbirds for one season, Ham became an assistant for the Lakers. He spent a couple seasons with the team before making longer stops with the Atlanta Hawks and Milwaukee Bucks, also as an assistant. He became the head coach of the Lakers after his stint with the Bucks, and now, he will be on the hunt for his next position.

We'll see what happens with Darvin Ham in the future, but his first NBA head coaching job didn't go too well. It'll be interesting to see if he can land another job as a head coach, or if he will go back down to the assistant level.