Darvin Ham is poised for a reunion with Milwaukee.
Ham has agreed to join the Bucks as the top assistant to head coach to Doc Rivers, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported on Monday, adding that he was highly sought-after among teams in his brief time as a free agent.
The Lakers, who tried to hire UConn’s Dan Hurley as Ham’s replacement but had their $70 million offer turned down on Monday, fired Ham four days after their season ended with a first-round playoff loss to Denver last month.
Ham served as an assistant in Milwaukee from 2018-22 and won a championship with the team in 2021.
The former NBA forward played for the Bucks from 1999-2002.
Ham, who has a good relationship with Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo, returns to Milwaukee after last month’s first-round playoff ouster to Indiana in Rivers’ first season as head coach.
Ham had two winning seasons in Los Angeles and a 90-74 overall in the regular season — but he failed to help deliver an 18th championship to the franchise.
He led the Lakers to the Western Conference Finals when they were swept by the Nuggets in 2023.
Ham also coached the Lakers to the inaugural in-season tournament title in Las Vegas in December.
Hurley told ESPN on Sunday that the Lakers made a “compelling case” and presented a “compelling vision” for him to become the franchise’s next coach — and that he left Los Angeles “extremely impressed” with Lakers VP and GM Rob Pelinka and owner Jeanie Buss.
But Hurley opted to go for a three-peat with the Huskies.