by Former Los Angeles Lakers guard Patrick Beverley recently recorded an episode of his podcast, The Pat Bev Pod, and revealed that former coach Darvin Ham apologized to him. Ham was fired by the Lakers earlier this offseason after the team was eliminated in the first round of the playoffs.
“I’m in Vegas, I’m playing. I see Coach Ham walk by. Mind you, I haven’t seen Coach Ham in person since I left the Lakers. Coach Ham comes up to me and asks, what’s up? I don’t know his move, I’m just asking, what’s up? Him, could I get five minutes? ‘Oh, shit, okay, what’s up, Ham?’ I just wanted to let you know, Pat, I apologize. ‘Oh, shit. You know, as a coach, you’re never supposed to apologize. The decision you make is the decision you make. Why? Because you’re the damn coach.”
“Pat, you were right, I need to practice more. Screw it, I need to do more. Talent alone is not enough to win.”
It takes a lot of effort for a coach to admit he was wrong. Respect 🫡 pic.twitter.com/dUkigtFIyC
— Pat Bev Pod (@PatBevPod) 15 August 2024
The Lakers are not a team that practices a lot, which is partly due to the older players on the roster. It seems when Beverley was on the team, he told Ham to have the team practice more, but Ham was hesitant to follow through.
Beverly went on to say that Ham had a lot on his plate as head coach of the Lakers, and dealing with all the personalities was no easy task.
“He’s had a lot on his plate. You’ve got Russ. You’ve got AD. You’ve got Bron. There’s a lot going on. He’s not going to listen to Pat Bev, at least not at this point.”
Beverley was traded from the Lakers to the Orlando Magic at the 2022-23 NBA trade deadline, so he wasn’t with the Lakers that long, but he made sure his presence was felt at all times.
While it’s a big deal that Ham is opening up to a former player like that, it was his decisions that ultimately led to his dismissal. His inability to adjust during the game and his use of different rotations caused problems throughout the squad.
Los Angeles felt they needed a better communicator at head coach, so they brought in former NBA guard JJ Redick as their replacement. Ham returned to the Milwaukee Bucks as an assistant coach and continued his NBA career.
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