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The LA Lakers' search for a head coach has come to an end with the appointment of Darvin Ham. Ham, who was Milwaukee Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer's assistant coach, will be replacing Frank Vogel as Lakers' head coach.
The search for Vogel's replacement started at the end of the regular season. A good number of candidates were considered for the position, ranging from Mark Jackson, former Portland Trail Blazers coach Terry Stotts, and Golden State Warriors assistant coach Kenny Atkinson, amongst others.
Ham has been highly sought after and was deemed the best candidate for the position. His work with arguably the best player in the NBA, Giannis Antetokounmpo, has been tremendous and well appreciated by the basketball community. The 2004 NBA champion was said to have made the most impression on the front office during the coaching interviews carried out by the organization.
Amongst good cheers from Lakers Nation for the hiring of Darvin Ham, NBA analyst Chris Broussard has also applauded the LA Lakers for their recruitment. Broussard termed it a 'good hire' when he reacted to the recruitment. He highlighted his strong presence, the respect he commands and his likeability as some of the reasons behind his call.
"He has a very strong presence and he's well respected by players, he's not a pushover and yet he is very likeable," Broussard said. "So, I think this is a great hire. He's got the resume, he's been on a championship staff in Milwaukee, he's coached a superstar in Giannis."
He also talked about him being a part of a title-winning staff with the Bucks, adding that the 48-year-old has the right resume. He added that the coach has worked with a superstar, in reference to the Greek Freak.
LeBron James approves of LA Lakers hire of Darvin Ham as head coach
Darvin Ham's recruitment has been well received by the basketball community and especially the Lakers Nation. His hire offers the franchise hope for the future as they look towards building in the upcoming season.
LA Lakers talisman LeBron James has welcomed Ham and shared his excitement for the 2022-23 season. Reports suggest that Ham was Brown's preference all along.
Other reports have argued that LBJ had no say in the hire. While Broussard had commented that James was possibly on board with the hire, he stated that the four-time NBA champion had no say. He suggested that James would have selected a veteran with a lot of experience like Doc Rivers if he was questioned.
"I'm sure LeBron is on board with it but to me this is clearly not a hire where LeBron dictated it," Broussard said. "My strong believe is he's on board with Darvin, but if they had just gone to LeBron and been like, 'Hey, who do you think we should?' Like my guess is LeBron would have went with a veteran. A Doc Rivers may be or someone like that who has a lot experience."
