Darvin Ham became the 15th Black head coach in the NBA after he was named by the Los Angeles Lakers as their new man at the helm for the upcoming season. That's now half of the league that employs an African American head coach. If you include the Miami Heat's Erik Spoelstra, who is Filipino-American, the league now has 16 coaches of color.

This uptick in recent years is a significant transition for the NBA as the league aims to promote equal opportunities for all. Ham spoke about this subject in a recent interview with ESPN's Malika Andrews as the Lakers coach discussed what this shift represents for the league and for Black coaches:

“I think it represents change,” Ham said. “I think it represents equal opportunity. Even though someone may not look like you, may come from a different background, that doesn't mean that they're not qualified.”

Ham then talked about his mentor, Bernie Bickerstaff, who was one of the first Black coaches in the league. The new Lakers shot-caller had nothing but praise for Bickerstaff, who he believes was a trailblazer for African American coaches in the NBA:

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“When I first came in the league and I had the opportunity to coach with a legendary African American head coach in Bernie Bickerstaff, and if it weren't for him I would not have had an opportunity to catch hold in the NBA… He's a template for all of us because he was such a great trailblazer in that role,” said Ham.

The NBA has long talked about how it wants to eradicate social injustice in its ranks and this recent shift is clearly a step in the right direction.