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Many LA Lakers fans are calling for coach Darvin Ham to get fired following the team's recent struggles. The Lakers are 3-10 since winning the 2023 NBA In-Season Tournament in early December. However, Hall of Fame coach George Karl defended Ham from online trolls and cited his survival from a shooting when he was a teenager.
The Athletic reported on Thursday that there's a "deepening disconnect" between Ham and the Lakers locker room amid their struggles. The team is in a precarious position, given how deep the Western Conference is this season.
Despite the calls for his ouster, Ham got a defender in Karl. The former NBA Coach of the Year called out haters and provided support for the 50-year-old coach:
"Darvin Ham has been thru serious adversity in his life, including being shot in the face as a kid," Karl wrote. "So when he talks about media rumoring or casual Laker trolls being a comparative walk in the park, he's not kidding!! Carry on Coach Ham!"
George Karl was alluding to Darvin Ham's near-fatal shooting when he was a 14-year-old in Saginaw, Michigan. Ham survived being shot in the neck and face, spending 11 days in the hospital and suffereing lifelong PTSD from the incident.
Ham is not fazed by anything basketball-related because of his experience in life. He commented on the rumors surrounding the LA Lakers locker room on Friday before their game against the Memphis Grizzlies.
The one-time NBA champion as a player is not worried about the speculations about his job security and assured everyone that he has the full support of the front office:
"I'm solid," Ham said. "My governor, Jeanie Buss, the boss lady, our president, Robert Pelinka, we're all aligned. As long as they're not saying it, I guess I'm good. Which I know how they feel about me and the situation we're currently in."
More fans will call for Darvin Ham's firing after Lakers' loss to Memphis
Things went from bad to worse for Darvin Ham and the LA Lakers on Friday night against the Memphis Grizzlies. Despite 32 points from LeBron James and 31 from Anthony Davis, the Lakers went down to the Grizzlies 127-113.
Austin Reaves contributed 19 points, seven rebounds and 12 assists, but it wasn't enough to prevent their eighth loss in 10 games. It didn't help that Ham only got 13 points from his bench. The Lakers are back in action on Saturday in Utah before a four-game homestand.
