Lakers' Darvin Ham on Teams Who Didn't Hire Him As HC: 'They F--ked Up Royally'

Before the Los Angeles Lakers hired him as their new head coach last offseason, Darvin Ham had been interviewed by a slew of teams around the league. While they all passed up on the chance to hire him, Ham went on to lead the Lakers back to the playoffs and a run to the Western Conference Finals.

NBA insider Marc Stein recently asked Ham about his feelings on the teams who chose not to hire him, and he didn't hold back.

"They f--ked up royally," Ham said.

Stein had listed out the teams that interviewed Ham for a head coaching position, naming the Boston Celtics, Charlotte Hornets, Chicago Bulls, Indiana Pacers, Minnesota Timberwolves, Orlando Magic, Sacramento Kings, Washington Wizards and Los Angeles Clippers. Ham added that the Atlanta Hawks also spoke to him, bringing the total to 10 teams who overlooked him before the Lakers gave him a chance.

While Ham is not short on confidence following a surprisingly successful season, his tenure in Los Angeles started out with turbulence. The Lakers opened the 2022-23 campaign with just two wins in their first 12 games, and they didn't get back above .500 until the second-to-last week of the regular season.

Los Angeles went on to finish with a 43-39 record after ending the year with six wins in their last seven games. The Lakers peaked at the perfect time, taking down the second-seeded Memphis Grizzlies and the 2022 NBA champion Golden State Warriors on their road to the conference finals. Their season came to an end when they fell to the eventual NBA champion Denver Nuggets in a four-game sweep.

The Lakers retained their core from this season's team and also brought in multiple free agents to add some depth across the roster, signing Gabe Vincent, Jaxson Hayes, Taurean Prince and Cam Reddish. Adding them to a group that includes LeBron James, Anthony Davis, D'Angelo Russell, Austin Reaves and Rui Hachimura has many people pegging Los Angeles as one of the top title contenders for next season.

It will be up to Ham to put it all together on the court as the Lakers try to chase another NBA championship as James' career winds down.