Los Angeles Lakers have confirmed the appointment of former assistant Darvin Ham as their new head coach.
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Lakers move on from Vogel
The Lakers have been on the hunt for a new coach since calling time on Frank Vogel's tenure after the regular season came to an end.
Vogel led the team to the championship in 2020, but they lost out in the first round last season after coming through the play-in tournament and they missed out on the postseason altogether this year as they finished the campaign in 11th place in the Western Conference with a 33-49 overall record.
Lakers return for Ham
Ham spent two years as Lakers assistant coach between 2011 and 2013. The 48-year-old has spent the last nine seasons working as Mike Budenholzer's assistant at Atlanta Hawks and then Milwaukee Bucks, winning the championship with the latter in 2021.
The Lakers have announced he has signed a multiyear deal but have not disclosed the length of the contract, although ESPN have reported he has signed a four-year deal.
"Our players and fans will immediately identify with Darvin's no-nonsense and hard-working approach, which we feel will bring toughness and a competitive edge to all we do," Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka said in a statement.
"When you add that to Darvin's sophisticated grasp of in-game strategy and deep knowledge of the game of basketball, we have the ideal coach for this next chapter in Lakers history. We could not be more honored and proud to name Darvin Ham as our new head coach."
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