{"id":60889,"date":"2024-01-06T13:50:11","date_gmt":"2024-01-06T18:50:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/?p=60889"},"modified":"2024-01-06T13:50:11","modified_gmt":"2024-01-06T18:50:11","slug":"darvin-ham-message-to-lakers-fans","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2024\/01\/06\/darvin-ham-message-to-lakers-fans\/","title":{"rendered":"Darvin Ham Sends Message to Lakers Fans Amid Coaching Rumors"},"content":{"rendered":"

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\u2014after the team lost their fourth game in a row, 127-113 to the Grizzlies on Friday.<\/span><\/p>\n

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.<\/span><\/p>\n

Darvin Ham Sends Message to Lakers Fans Amid Coaching Rumors<\/b><\/h2>\n

Background<\/b><\/h3>\n

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 <\/span>the extent of the tensions within the purple and gold\u2019s locker room<\/span><\/a>. Friday\u2019s postgame presser was the first one in which <\/span>Ham directly addressed the rumors<\/span><\/a> surrounding his standing within the organization.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cNah, it comes with the territory. I\u2019m solid. My governor, Jeanie Buss, <\/span>the boss lady, our president, Robert Pelinka, we\u2019re all aligned. As long as they\u2019re not saying it, I guess, I\u2019m good. Which I know how they feel about me in the situation we\u2019re currently in. So we\u2019re all on the same page.<\/span>\u201d<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The Athletic Story<\/b><\/h4>\n

Ham also addressed The Athletic\u2019s reporting and their use of anonymous sources:<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201c…<\/span>it\u2019s kind of disingenuous and I wish we would get to a place where people are firm enough to stand on what they\u2019re saying. Then maybe we can have real dialogue and get to it. I don\u2019t mind people critiquing the job I\u2019m doing. All I\u2019m gonna do is continue to do my job until I can\u2019t do it anymore.<\/span>\u201d<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

He also encouraged the reporters in the room to ensure they have their facts straight in their stories:<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201c<\/span>So just be solid with what you\u2019re putting out there and please don\u2019t intertwine it with personal attacks either. That\u2019s what it is, that\u2019s what I signed up for when I decided to become a coach. I\u2019ve been around some great guys that handle it well and some coaches that haven\u2019t handled it so well. But me, I\u2019m solid. I\u2019ve been through a ton of ish in my life. This is a walk in the park, trust me.<\/span>\u201d<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Ham and the Lakers\u2019 Mentality Going Forward<\/b><\/h4>\n

Amid the Lakers\u2019 struggles, Ham noted that this skid ignited a fire within him to be better:<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

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."<\/p>\n

— Ryan Ward (@RyanWardLA) January 6, 2024<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n