Bucks: Darvin Ham returning as lead assistant coach

Darvin Ham is returning to the Milwaukee Bucks coaching staff.

ESPN was the first to report the news on Monday.

Ham spent the last two years as the head coach of the Los Angeles Lakers. Before that, he was on former Milwaukee coach Mike Budenholzer’s staff and was viewed a major contributor to the team’s success, which included winning the NBA title in 2021.

This will be Ham’s third go-around with the Bucks. In addition to his five years as an assistant, the former Texas Tech star played three seasons with Milwaukee in the late 1990s and early 2000s.

Ham went 90-74 as the head coach of the Lakers, making the playoffs twice. The team went to the Western Conference Finals last year but got swept by the eventual NBA Champion Denver Nuggets.