Darvin Ham’s 2nd straight NBA Cup win has Lakers fans in shambles - “Means he’s getting swept in 1st round”

Darvin Ham continued his streak of success in the NBA’s in-season tournament by helping the Milwaukee Bucks secure the 2024 Emirates NBA Cup as an assistant coach under Doc Rivers. Last year, Ham led the LA Lakers, a LeBron James-led team, to win the inaugural tournament. With the Bucks’ victory, Ham remains undefeated in NBA Cup games.

The Lakers, now under coach JJ Redick, failed to make it past the knockout stages of this year’s NBA Cup. Meanwhile, Ham and former Laker Taurean Prince, who joined the Bucks in free agency, celebrated as Milwaukee dominated the OKC Thunder 97-81 in the final.

Fans were entertained by Ham’s remarkable 14-0 record in NBA Cup games, though one jokingly noted that this success might lead to the same outcome as last season with the Lakers — an early playoff exit.

“This means he’s getting swept in the 1st round,” one fan quipped.

“DARVIN HAM IS A 2 TIME NBA CUP CHAMPION and lakers fans said he was the problem smh,” another fan said.

“Darvin ham wasn’t the problem,” another commented.

“Bro is goated when it don’t f*****g matter,” another added.

Here are more fan reactions to Ham’s second NBA Cup win:

“First assistant coach to get this praise … ok,” another joked.

“They really tried calling this goat a bum,” another said.

What Darvin Ham said about his Lakers firing

In his first year with the Lakers, Darvin Ham led the team to the In-Season Tournament championship and the Western Conference Finals, where they lost to the Denver Nuggets. However, in his second year, the Lakers were eliminated in the first round by the same opponent.

The Lakers subsequently parted ways with Ham and hired first-time coach JJ Redick. Reflecting on his firing, Ham spoke to ESPN in October.

“The state of the team when they hired me, up until the day they fired me, I like to think it improved. And that’s all I care about,” Ham said. “I poured myself, my heart and soul, into that team trying to improve it from where it was — 33-49."

"And to get to the Western Conference finals in one year, have guys benefit from it financially. To have that excitement going into that next year, get derailed by injuries, still manage to win the in-season tournament and get to the playoffs, I thank God every day.”

Darvin Ham didn’t remain jobless for long, as the Bucks brought him back as an assistant coach.