It is no secret that Giannis Antetokounmpo has a lot of influence at the Bucks and it looks as though he’s used his influence once more over a coaching decision.
Fired Lakers coach Darvin Ham coached the Bucks from 2018-22 under Mike Budenholzer (who has since been fired) before taking the job to coach LA.
Giannis apparently had a hand in bringing Ham back to Milwaukee, where Ham has bigger aspirations than top assistant, according to reporter Gery Woelfel.
“I recently chatted with a few NBA sources since ex-Lakers HC Darvin Ham joined the Bucks staff,” Woelfel said. “They were adamant in saying Giannis Antetokounmpo had major input in Ham’s hiring (shocking, eh?)
Some of those same sources also contend Ham, who had offers from seversl (sic) other teams, took the Bucks job with the assumption he’ll eventually succeed Doc Rivers as the Bucks HC.”
Ham worked closely with Giannis and established a good relationship with the two-time league MVP during the franchise’s championship run in 2021.
Once Ham left the Bucks, the team has experienced little playoff success.
In the 2023 postseason, the Bucks were eliminated by the Heat in the opening round of the playoffs, even though Milwaukee finished the regular season with the league’s best record by far.
Then in the postseason that just finished, Giannis and Damian Lillard suffered injuries and the team weren’t able to make it past the first round against the Pacers.
Since the Bucks hired Doc Rivers to replace Adrian Griffin after only just 43 games, Rivers went 17-19.
