Giannis Praises Lakers for Hiring Bucks Assistant Darvin Ham: 'It's About Damn Time'

Giannis Antetokounmpo is going to miss Darvin Ham, but the Bucks star praised the Los Angeles Lakers for hiring the Milwaukee assistant as their new head coach on Friday, which was first reported by ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.

Ham had been a member of the Bucks' staff since 2018. Antetokounmpo was an All-Star in each of Ham's four seasons, named the 2019-20 Defensive Player of the Year and named NBA MVP in both 2018 and 2019.

Antetokounmpo's comments come after Lakers star LeBron James tweeted his excitement about the hiring of Ham who, according to Wojnarowski, "made a strong impression" with the Purple and Gold's brass. 

The Lakers liked Ham's "championship pedigree, his commanding presence, history of coaching stars and toughness," Wojnarowski reported. It comes as little surprise as Ham has coached the likes of Antetokounmpo and was a member of Milwaukee's 2021 NBA title-winning squad. 

That said, Ham will undoubtedly face his challenges in L.A. after the Lakers finished 11th in the Western Conference this season and missed the playoffs after entering the year with high expectations following the addition of Russell Westbrook. 

However, he was arguably the best candidate of the Lakers' reported finalists. Golden State Warriors assistant Kenny Atkinson and former Portland Trail Blazers head coach Terry Stotts were also finalists for the position, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium.