Coach Darvin Ham is fired by the Lakers after two seasons

The Los Angeles Lakers fired coach Darvin Ham on Friday after two seasons. The Lakers will now open a job search in hopes of finding the right person to maximize what figures to be the final chapter of LeBron James' storied career while returning the team to championship contention.

Ham, who had two years remaining on his contract, went 90-74 (.549) during the regular season and 9-12 (.429) in the postseason -- which does not include his two play-in tournament wins -- since being hired to replace Frank Vogel in 2022. He also guided the Lakers to the inaugural in-season tournament title in Las Vegas in December.

The decision came just days after the Lakers were eliminated by the Denver Nuggets for the second straight season, this time in five games in the first round after being swept by Denver in the conference finals a year ago.

We greatly appreciate Darvin Ham's efforts on behalf of the Lakers and recognize the many accomplishments achieved over the past two seasons including last year's remarkable run to the Western Conference finals," said Rob Pelinka, Lakers vice president of basketball operations and general manager.