Lakers’ Darvin Ham Says He Feels Supported by Jeanie Buss, Rob Pelinka amid Struggles

Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times via Getty ImagesLos Angeles Lakers head coach Darvin Ham says he feels supported by the Lakers front office amid struggles in the first half of the season.

While addressing the media, Ham said he thinks he is in good standing with Lakers’ president Jeanie Buss and vice president of basketball operations Rob Pelinka.

“It comes with the territory. I’m solid,” Ham said Friday. “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. I know how they feel about me and the current situation we’re in. We’re all on the same page.”

Mark Medina @MarkG_MedinaLakers coach Darvin Ham said he still feels support from Jeanie Buss and Rob Pelinka pic.twitter.com/1YnR4a3mas

The Lakers currently sit in 10th place in the Western Conference at 17-18 on the year. Ham, who has been with the Lakers since 2022, led Los Angeles to a Western Conference Finals appearance in his first season at the helm, but he’s gotten off to a rocky start this year.

For now, Ham said he is focused on doing his job and trying to get the Lakers back on track. Los Angeles has lost its last three games and is looking to get back in the win column against the Memphis Grizzlies on Friday.

“What I’m going to do is keep my head down and continue my job until I can’t do it anymore,” Ham said.

A possible solution to the Lakers’ struggles could be adding a piece to aid stars LeBron James and Anthony Davis, who are putting up 25 points and 25.2 points per game, respectively.

The Lakers have been involved in trade rumors surrounding Chicago Bulls guard Zach LaVine, but have “indicated a hesitancy” to deal for LaVine due to his lofty contract, per Yahoo Sports Jake Fischer. If Los Angeles is willing to trade for LaVine, he could be the missing piece.

Ham feels good about his standing with the Lakers for now, but the second-year head coach will have to start producing better results to keep his job.