LOS ANGELES — The Lakers have been given permission to interview Milwaukee Bucks assistant coach Darvin Ham, a person with knowledge of the situation confirmed to the Los Angeles Times Friday afternoon.
Long regarded as one of the top assistant coaches in basketball, Ham has been with the Bucks since 2018, winning a title with the team last season. He won a title as a player with the Detroit Pistons in 2004.
Ham previously worked for the Lakers in 2011 as a member of then-coach Mike Brown’s staff.
He played in 417 career games with Denver, Indiana, Washington, Milwaukee, Atlanta and Detroit. As a player, he’s most famously known for shattering a backboard for Texas Tech in the NCAA Tournament against North Carolina, a moment immortalized on the cover of Sports Illustrated.
Ham is the first known target for the Lakers head coaching job, a vacancy created when the team fired Frank Vogel following a 33-49 season.