EL SEGUNDO, Calif. — Darvin Ham was introduced as the Los Angeles Lakers‘ new coach on Monday, with point guard Russell Westbrook standing off to the side in a public show of support for the hiring.
Ham reciprocated that support right back to Westbrook, after a tumultuous first season in Los Angeles for the former league MVP.
“Don’t get it messed up: Russell Westbrook is one of the best players our league has ever seen, and there’s still a ton left in the tank,” Ham said. “I don’t know why people tend to try to write him off.”
After trading for Westbrook on the day of the 2021 NBA draft, Los Angeles experienced one of the most disappointing seasons in franchise history. The Lakers went from being a preseason favorite to win the championship based on Las Vegas betting odds to missing the playoffs completely, finishing No. 11 in the Western Conference with a 33-49 record.
“Russ and I had some really, really great one-on-one convos, man, and the biggest word I think that came out of that, those discussions, was ‘sacrifice,'” Ham said. “I’m going to expect him to be the same tenacious, high-energy player that he’s been all his entire career. A lot of that now may have him without the ball in his hand. Most of it now may have it on the defensive end. But again, we have to sacrifice. There’s no achieving anything without all parties sharing the load, sacrificing, instead of one-on-one.”
Lakers vice president of basketball operations and general manager Rob Pelinka joined Ham for the occasion and expressed optimism in the 48-year-old Ham becoming the 28th coach in the team’s existence.
“This is an incredibly bright and promising day in Laker history,” Pelinka said.
After also interviewing Golden State Warriors assistant Kenny Atkinson, Milwaukee Bucks assistant Charles Lee, Toronto Raptors assistant Adrian Griffin, former Portland Trail Blazers head coach Terry Stotts and former Warriors head coach and current ESPN NBA broadcaster Mark Jackson, according to sources, Pelinka…
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