Former Los Angeles Lakers coach Darvin Ham reportedly turned down an opportunity to reunite with coach Mike Budenholzer as an assistant with the Phoenix Suns.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!According to NBA insider Marc Stein, Budenholzer “made a run at trying to convince” Ham to join his staff after he was hired as head coach of the Phoenix Suns last month, but Ham “understandably passed after two exacting seasons in Lakerland.” (h/t Bleacher Report)
Stein added that the Suns pivoted to asking coach David Fizdale to remain on staff under Budenholzer, despite him originally being brought in by now-dismissed coach Frank Vogel last summer. According to ESPN’s Wojnarowski, Fizdale accepted to stay on staff.
In addition to Fizdale, the Suns have reportedly added three other assistants over the past week: Wisconsin Herd head coach Chaisson Allen (per HoopsHype), (Utah Jazz assistant coach Chad Forcier (per Deseret News) and one of Budenholzer’s previous assistants, Vince Legarza (per AZ Central’s Duane Rankin).
Ham was dismissed after two seasons at the helm of the Lakers on May 3. Before landing the Lakers job, Ham was an assistant for nine seasons under Budenholzer, who has been a head coach for 10 years. Ham began working with him when Budenholzer got his first head-coaching gig in 2013 with the Atlanta Hawks. When Budenholzer was dismissed in Atlanta, he brought over Ham to the Milwaukee Bucks, where he stayed until 2022, when the Lakers hired him away.
The Lakers finished 90-74 in the regular season in Ham’s two-year tenure and were swept in the Western Conference Finals last season by the Nuggets before losing in the first round this year. Ham’s time in LA did not end that well, so it makes sense why he wanted to take some time off.
The Suns officially hired Budenholzer as head coach to replace Vogel on May 11, two weeks after the team was swept in the first round by the Minnesota Timberwolves.
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Brendan Mau is a senior writer covering the Phoenix Suns and more for Burn City Sports. You can follow him on X via @Brendan_Mau
