Ex-Lakers head coach Darvin Ham rejoining Bucks as top assistant

Former Lakers head coach Darvin Ham has rejoined the Milwaukee Bucks as their top assistant to Doc Rivers, per ESPN.

Ham spent the past two seasons with Los Angeles, sporting a 90-74 regular season record, while taking the LeBron James, Anthony Davis & Co. to the Western Conference Finals in his first season at the helm. He was fired in May after the Lakers lost their first-round Denver Nuggets in the first round of the 2023-24 playoffs. The Nuggets also swept the Lakers in last year’s Western Conference Finals.

Ham, 50, returns to the place where he won the 2021 NBA Championship as an assistant to then-Bucks Mike Budenholzer. He had previous assistant coaching stops in Atlanta and Los Angeles.

Ham was a highly-sought-after assistant coaching candidate this spring according to ESPN, but chose to reunite with Milwaukee and superstar Giannis Antentokounmpo instead of rejoining with Budenholzer, who took over as the Phoenix Suns‘ head coach earlier this offseason.

The Bucks, who were limited by injuries to Antentokounmpo and co-star Damian Lillard, were eliminated by the Indiana Pacers in six games in the first round of the playoffs.

[Want great stories delivered right to your inbox? Create or log in to your FOX Sports account, follow leagues, teams and players to receive a personalized newsletter daily.]

FOLLOW Follow your favorites to personalize your FOX Sports experience