The New Orleans Pelicans are still early on in their coaching search, but a handful of notable names have already been linked to the team.
Per NBA insider Marc Stein, current Milwaukee Bucks assistant coach and former Los Angeles Lakers head coach Darvin Ham “is a name to watch” in the search.
The Pelicans fired head coach Willie Green on Saturday after a rough 2-10 start to the season. Green had been New Orleans’ coach since 2021, leading the team to two playoff appearances but losing in the first round twice. The Pelicans went 21-61 a year ago.
James Borrego is the team’s interim coach and is expected to be considered for the full-time job, according to SNY’s Ian Begley. Former UConn head coach Kevin Ollie could also be a candidate, per Begley. Ollie was most recently the interim head coach of the Brooklyn Nets in 2024.
Ham, 52, has been the lead assistant on Doc Rivers’ staff in Milwaukee since last season. Before that, he was the Lakers’ head coach from 2022-23 to 2023-24. Ham’s time in Los Angeles was mostly underwhelming, as he reached the Western Conference Finals in 2023 but faced a first-round exit in 2024. The Lakers fired him following the first-round exit.
Ham’s only experience as an NBA head coach came in Los Angeles, and he’s otherwise been an assistant.
While Ham received his fair share of criticism while coaching the Lakers, his time in Milwaukee working under an experienced coach like Rivers could be what he needed to hit the reset button.
While the Pelicans still have a long way to go in their coaching search, it appears Ham will be in the mix for the job.
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