Less than 48 hours after the news broke that Darvin Ham had lost the Lakers locker room, the second-year head coach finally addressed the situation—after the team lost their fourth game in a row, 127-113 to the Grizzlies on Friday.
Ham revealed his thoughts surrounding his job security, spoke on his relationship with Lakers brass, and sent a message to fans that rubbed many the wrong way.
Darvin Ham Sends Message to Lakers Fans Amid Coaching Rumors
Background
The recent team drama built to a boiling point on Thursday, when the Lakers fell to the Miami Heat for their then-third straight loss. The postgame environment immediately signaled that something was up, and The Athletic later revealed the extent of the tensions within the purple and gold’s locker room. Friday’s postgame presser was the first one in which Ham directly addressed the rumors surrounding his standing within the organization.
“Nah, it comes with the territory. I’m solid. My governor, Jeanie Buss, the boss lady, our president, Robert Pelinka, we’re all aligned. As long as they’re not saying it, I guess, I’m good. Which I know how they feel about me in the situation we’re currently in. So we’re all on the same page.”
The Athletic Story
Ham also addressed The Athletic’s reporting and their use of anonymous sources:
“…it’s kind of disingenuous and I wish we would get to a place where people are firm enough to stand on what they’re saying. Then maybe we can have real dialogue and get to it. I don’t mind people critiquing the job I’m doing. All I’m gonna do is continue to do my job until I can’t do it anymore.”
He also encouraged the reporters in the room to ensure they have their facts straight in their stories:
“So just be solid with what you’re putting out there and please don’t intertwine it with personal attacks either. That’s what it is, that’s what I signed up for when I decided to become a coach. I’ve been around some great guys that handle it well and some coaches that haven’t handled it so well. But me, I’m solid. I’ve been through a ton of ish in my life. This is a walk in the park, trust me.”
Ham and the Lakers’ Mentality Going Forward
Amid the Lakers’ struggles, Ham noted that this skid ignited a fire within him to be better:
Darvin Ham: "I'm in this thing for the fight. And I'm not going to hang my head or anything, I'm disappointed we lost, disappointed that we have lost multiple games now in a row. But this is only gonna make that fire bigger in my chest, to try to figure this thing out."
— Ryan Ward (@RyanWardLA) January 6, 2024
He also reiterated his message to the team amid all the headlines:
“We gotta block out all the noise, don’t pay attention to it. Focus on how we can get better. Whatever the mistakes are, whatever went wrong, look at it, analyze, and try to correct it. That’s it. You have to be solution-based, and you definitely have to be numb to whatever is going on outside. They’re not Lakers, then don’t pay attention to it. Just lock in on us, and try to see how we can be the best version of ourselves through our work—our daily work.”
Ham’s Message to Lakers Fans
Over the course of Ham’s remarks, he mentioned the team’s body language as the Grizzlies remained hot from the field despite tough defense. He included a jab towards fans and their apparent overreactions:
“You have to look at the totality of the picture. I’m tired of people living and dying with every single game we play. It’s ludicrous, actually…This is a marathon, and we hit a tough stretch.”
Lakers fans and writers alike took issue with this particular statement, with some calling it a “slap in the face” to LA’s diehard supporters.
Trying not to overreact here but saying this feels like a slap in the face to the fanbase that lives and dies with the Lakers and spends their hard-earned money to watch the team. Everyone understands that it’s a long season, but this is not what people want to hear when your… https://t.co/cUWi9T7kOC
— Daniel Starkand (@DStarkand) January 6, 2024
Living and dying with every single game is a sign of the passion of Lakers' fans. Sometimes people can go overboard but it's far better than disinterest. If you don't want people to live and die with every game then you're in the wrong city. https://t.co/RhmU44LCla
— Trevor Lane (@Trevor_Lane) January 6, 2024
We live and die with this team because expect excellence from this team. They are not playing anywhere close to their potential and this is not the same team that played in the In Season Tournament. https://t.co/X76fD1VsUh
— Tom (@la4052101) January 6, 2024
It’s easy to make comments like this in the face of frustration, but this statement was definitely the wrong move. Ham has preached about the need to figure things out and not be discouraged. But perhaps he was just compensating for the team’s poor play (and his poor decisions) while serving as the eternal optimist. This dig at fans is the first time he’s called out people outside of the organization—he had publicly criticized Jarred Vanderbilt and Cam Reddish a few weeks ago.
This wrinkle is the latest sign of turmoil that continues to seep out of the Lakers locker room. Ham is correct that people continually react after games, but it’s because they have, as mentioned earlier, a high standard of excellence for Lakers basketball. Right now, this team is far from it, leading to the justified reactions of the Laker faithful. It will stay that way unless something changes and LA gets back on track in their championship pursuit.
