The Milwaukee Bucks, reigning NBA Cup champions, got their title defense off to a strong start. They topped the Chicago Bulls 126-110 at Fiserv Forum on Friday, moving to 1-0 in the tournament. That marked the Bucks’ eighth consecutive win in the competition, but assistant coach Darvin Ham has been riding an even more remarkable streak.
Apr 16, 2024; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; Los Angeles Lakers head coach Darvin Ham speaks with the media before a play-in game of the 2024 NBA playoffs against the New Orleans Pelicans at Smoothie King Center. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-USA TODAY Sports
Ham has now gone 15-0 as a coach in the NBA Cup, having led the Los Angeles Lakers to the title in the inaugural 2023 edition. His teams have been dominant throughout the competition, and he discussed the key to his success on the Hoop Genius Podcast.
“Gamble on what you know. I know basketball,” said the Bucks assistant coach. “And so in that regard, what I mean by that is I know the preparation it takes. I know what you got to have, the pieces you got to have to be successful in that regard. Not just hearsay or what the roster looks like, or whatever.”
Ham’s stint with the Lakers may have concluded in a sour note, but there was a period when things were going well. In his first season leading the team, he took them all the way to the 2023 Western Conference Finals.
Darvin Ham with the Bucks
Mar 22, 2025; Sacramento, California, USA; Milwaukee Bucks assistant coach Darvin Ham (left) talks with forward Taurean Prince (12) during the second quarter against the Sacramento Kings at Golden 1 Center. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images
Ham capped off the year by winning what was then called the In-Season Tournament in December 2023. His Lakers defeated the Indiana Pacers 123-109 in the Las Vegas final, becoming the first-ever champions of the competition. Despite the victory, the trophy was not enough to keep his job, and Ham was let go in May 2024 after the Denver Nuggets swept the Lakers in the first round of the playoffs.
The 52-year-old’s time without a team was brief, as the Bucks brought him on in June 2024 to serve as the lead assistant under head coach Doc Rivers. He had previously been an assistant in Milwaukee under Mike Budenholzer and contributed to the team’s 2021 NBA championship.
May 22, 2023; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers head coach Darvin Ham speaks during a press conference before game four of the Western Conference Finals for the 2023 NBA playoffs against the Denver Nuggets at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Ham played a key role in helping the Bucks add more hardware to their trophy collection, guiding them to a 97-81 victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder in the 2024 NBA Cup final.
The now Bucks assistant coach is now pursuing a personal three-peat. The 7-4 Bucks will return to NBA Cup action when they host the Charlotte Hornets at Fiserv Forum on Friday at 8 PM ET. Before that, Milwaukee will take on the Hornets at the Spectrum Center on Wednesday at 7 PM in a regular-season game.