Los Angeles Lakers Hire Darvin Ham; Blazers Coach Terry Stotts Misses Out on Job

After being named a finalist for the Los Angeles Lakers coaching job, former Portland Trail Blazers coach Terry Stotts will not become the head man in LA.

According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, the Lakers have hired Milwaukee Bucks assitant coach Darvin Ham as their next head coach.

Ham, who turns 49 this summer, played eight years in the NBA and won a title with the 2004 Detroit Pistons. He’s also been an assistant coach since 2011, coaching the Lakers (2011-13), Atlanta Hawks (2013-18) and Bucks (2018-22).

Now, Ham gets his first opportunity as a head coach in the NBA.

As for Stotts, there is only one current head coaching vacancy in the NBA this offseason: the Charlotte Hornets.

Stotts accumulated a 402-318 record with the Blazers over nine seasons. He led Portland to the NBA playoffs eight times, with a 22-40 record in the postseason. His teams reached the second round three times, the Western Conference Finals once.