Ex-PBA import Darvin Ham picks up first win as NBA acting coach 

NEW YORK – Acting Milwaukee Bucks coach Darvin Ham entered their locker room like they had just won the championship following a statement win against the Brooklyn Nets. 

The depleted Bucks trounced the Nets, 121-109, Friday night (Saturday, Manila time) at the Barclays Center, the same venue where they won a riveting Game Seven in last season's Eastern Conference semifinals on their way to the franchise's first NBA title. 

Milwaukee improved to 26-15 while dropping Brooklyn to 24-13 overall and a 10-10 record at home. 

The Bucks team splashed Ham with water upon arrival to the locker room, and the acting coach reveled in a victory dance. Khris Middleton later gave him the game ball as a souvenir for his first career victory in a coaching capacity. 

Proud of ya old man! @Bucks ???????????? pic.twitter.com/N7ia8UTIKL

— Darvin Ham Jr (@CoachHam92) January 8, 2022

It was a long time coming for the 48-year old Ham, who spent nine seasons as an NBA journeyman, including a championship with the Detroit Pistons in 2004 and a three-year stop in Milwaukee, before taking his electrifying dunks to the Philippines. 

Ham played as a replacement import in the Philippine Basketball Association, the oldest professional league in Asia, for multi-titled local club Talk 'n Text. They eventually lost in five games to Air21 in the 2005-06 PBA Fiesta Conference quarterfinals.  

Ham is best remembered for his back-and-forth in-your-face dunks against Ranidel de Ocampo in the PBA. 

After his lone overseas stint, Ham played two more seasons in the NBA D-League (now G League) before embarking on a coaching career that has led him to this moment. 

Ham lost his two previous stints as acting coach — one in 2017 when he also filled in for a suspended Budenholzer when they were still with the Atlanta Hawks and the second earlier this week. 

Last Wednesday, the Bucks lost 117-111 to the Toronto Raptors a few hours after Ham and the team learned that Budenholzer entered the health and safety protocols. They were also without Giannis Antetokounmpo due to illness unrelated to COVID-19. 

But in a primetime matchup between the defending champion and the oddsmakers’ title favorites, Antetokounmpo returned and helped secure Ham's first win with 31 points. Bobby Portis and Middleton added 25 and 20 points, respectively, for the Bucks, who snapped a two-game skid. 

The Bucks overwhelmed the Nets on both ends in the wire-to-wire victory. 

"Everybody played a role, and just about the positive vibes I think led to what we saw tonight," Ham said. "And I just want to humbly thank everybody and coach Bud, you know, learning from him these nine years and how to command a team, how to be efficient with your energy, picking your moments, how to simplify and emphasize what really needs to be done to be successful on both sides of the ball. I thank him for just teaching me, helping me, and the trust in allowing me to grow under his tutelage."

Considered part of the next wave of NBA coaches, Ham said he's happy with the Bucks organization. He interviewed for the coaching vacancy in Washington, which later went to Wes Unseld, Jr., and his alma mater Texas Tech University in the NCAA. But Ham ultimately decided to stay with the Bucks organization. 

"You can't ask for a better situation. You know the granddad, he was living on the other side of the fence, but this is pretty good grass to lay out and have a picnic. [It's] All right here. Milwaukee Bucks, I love it. I love it," said Ham, who is hoping they could defend their NBA championship this season. 

Durant won't force Irving to take the vaccine

The Nets are officially on a slump having lost four of their last five games. In their one win during that stretch, they needed Kyrie Irving's brilliant fourth quarter in his season debut as a part-time player. 

Irving returned to the Nets' lineup Wednesday night (Thursday in Manila) and scored 10 of his 22 points in the fourth quarter to help Brooklyn overcome a 19-point deficit against the Indiana Pacers. 

Against Milwaukee, the Nets sorely missed Irving's presence. Durant, who led the team with 29 points, said he would not force Irving to get the vaccine to have him for their home games. 

"I told him how important he is, how much I want him to play every game," Durant said after their loss to Milwaukee. "But I'm not about to force somebody to get a vaccine like that's not my thing. So, he can play basketball? Nah, I'm not about to do that."

"We've had conversations about wanting him to be a part of the team and conversations about him being here full-time, but that's on his time. Whatever decision he wants to make, he's gonna make. It's on us to be professionals no matter what and do our jobs. All of us, from the owner down to the equipment manager, so whenever he's ready, he'll be ready."

The Nets have to figure out how to win in Brooklyn, where Irving, under New York City's mandate, is not allowed to play due to his unvaccinated status. 

They have a combined 0-8 record against the top four teams in each conference (except for the Utah Jazz, which they haven't played yet this season). 

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Alder Almo is a former senior sportswriter for Philstar.com and NBA.com Philippines. He is now based in Jersey City, New Jersey, and writes for the New York-based sports website empiresportsmedia.com.