Bobby Portis ignites Bucks-Lakers showdown amid controversy over Darvin Ham's departure

Darvin Ham’s tenure as head coach of the Los Angeles Lakers began with high expectations but lasted just two seasons. Now serving as an assistant coach for the Milwaukee Bucks, Ham has already added another accolade to his résumé: winning the NBA Cup for the second time. Meanwhile, Bucks forward Bobby Portis Jr. is gearing up for the showdown against the Lakers, carrying some extra motivation stemming from Ham’s firing.

Ham’s departure was steeped in controversy. In his debut season with the Lakers, he led the team to the Western Conference Finals, only to be swept by the Denver Nuggets. In his second season, Ham guided the Lakers to a historic NBA Cup victory but was dismissed by the end of the season.

Since joining the Bucks as an assistant under Doc Rivers, Ham has now won back-to-back NBA Cups, proving his value on the sidelines. While details surrounding his exit remain unclear, Portis has made it clear that Ham’s firing adds an extra layer of intensity to the upcoming matchup.

“For Coach Ham, this is a big moment for him. I think our guys will be fired up for him to get the dub,” Portis said on FanDuel’s Run It Back. “On the other side, they’ll be fired up and not want their coach to beat them, so it’s just going to be a great game for TV. Hopefully, that game is somewhere live nationally – I think it’s a great storyline behind it.”

Assistant coach Darvin Ham of the Milwaukee Bucks talks to a player during a break in the second half of a semifinal game of the Emirates NBA Cup. (Ethan Miller/Getty Images)

Ham reflects on his controversial Lakers exit

In an interview with Andscape’s Marc Spears, Ham expressed his frustration over being let go despite his accomplishments. “To do as well as I did, I swear to God, anywhere else I’m probably looking at an extension with what I did,” Ham said. “I’m not talking about feelings. I’m talking actual facts.”

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“They go from not making it to the playoffs to the final four in the NBA, the conference finals,” he continued. “And then you win the in-season tournament, navigate through all the injuries, and win both of your play-in games to get to the playoffs.”

Arenas explains the reason Ham struggled to coach LeBron James

During a recent episode of Gil’s Arena, Gilbert Arenas weighed in on why coaching a player of LeBron James’ caliber presents unique challenges, suggesting Ham’s struggles could be linked to LeBron’s advanced basketball intellect.

“We’re just going to be honest; your star player’s probably smarter than you, right? And the fact that your star player is smarter than you, that’s a hard job to have,” Arenas explained.

“You literally have to talk to LeBron’s ego,” he added. “I got to talk to his basketball. For him to accept you, it’s like talking to some genius… LeBron’s basketball IQ is so high, if you don’t speak the same lingo as him, he’s not listening to you.”