Darvin Ham fires back at critics who insist Lakers are firing him: ‘I’m solid… we’re all aligned’

Before the Lakers beat the Clippers this Sunday night, coach Darvin Ham attended the press and addressed the constant threat by fans that suggest his days leading the purple and gold roster are over. The former basketball player made sure everyone present knew he was there to stay in Los Angeles, and what a better way to confirm this than by beating their hometown rivals.

Now the team possesses an 18-19 record in the Western Conference and hope this last win will raise their confidence as the league heads into the first month of 2024. However, the triumph doesn’t eliminate the fact that they had lost 4 games in a row before this Sunday.

Ham addressed his job security by saying that both his direct bosses are aligned with him. “I’m solid,” he assured. “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 and the situation we’re currently in.”

Despite Ham insisting that his job isn’t in jeopardy, he did recognize the struggles they’ve had to endure recently and the difficulties of leading this star-packed locker room. He understands that such scrutiny is part of the job.

“I don’t mind people critiquing the job I’m doing,” he explained. “All I’m going to do is keep my head down and continue to do my job until I can’t do it anymore. And so, just, be solid with what you’re putting out there and please don’t intertwine it with personal attacks, either.”

Darvin then stressed his continuous, effective communication with squad leaders Anthony Davis and LeBron James. The coach is convinced he can handle this challenge as he’s done so many times in the past.

“So, that’s what it is, that’s what I signed up for when I decided to become a coach and I’ve been around some great guys who have handled it well and some coaches that haven’t handled it so well. But me? I’m solid, man. I’ve been through a ton of ‘ish’ in my life and this is a walk in the park. Trust me,” Ham assured.

The Lakers coach complained about today’s reporting and explained why a more transparent journalism is required

Darvin made his debut as an NBA head coach with the Lakers after replacing Frank Vogel in May 2022 with a four-year contract. When talking about the challenges of leading the purple and gold roster and dealing with the press, he made reference to the mafia reporting from back in the 80s.

“It reminds me of when I used to watch ’60 Minutes’ with my father in the ’80s. And one particular show they were talking about La Cosa Nostra and the mafia, and these guys were starting to go to trial, and their star witness shows up with a black potato sack over his head and shades. And due to fear, the name can’t really be released,” Ham said. “And so this seems to be the standard of reporting now for NBA. People on the internet and whatever.”

"[Darvin Ham] got them all the way to the Western Conference finals, he's shown he can get this team and lead this team out of a bad stretch, now it's just will this team fully buy in."@ShamsCharania on Darvin Ham and the Lakers.

📺: https://t.co/wdT8I0SliI pic.twitter.com/qqwdHKrT3v

— Run It Back (@RunItBackFDTV) January 8, 2024

The coach then made sure to make the distinction that he’s not criticizing all reporters, but he desires more transparent journalism. “And not all reporters — I don’t want to disrespect anybody in the room — but when you say the source is anonymous by choice and they don’t want to put their name on something, but they want to give you the information, and then you take the information, and now everybody gets a chance to dissect it and spread it all out in their own way, it’s kind of disingenuous,” Ham explained.

“And I wish we would get to a place where people are firm enough to stand on what they’re saying, and then maybe we can have real dialogue and get to it.”