Darvin Ham linked to Pelicans job

Darvin Ham interviewed last week for the New Orleans Pelicans’ head coaching job, putting the former Los Angeles Lakers coach firmly in the team’s search. (hoopsrumors.com) (sports.yahoo.com) A source confirmed to The Times-Picayune that Ham was one of three coaches interviewed last week, along with Rajon Rondo and Brooklyn Nets assistant Steve Hetzel. (sports.yahoo.com) (hoopsrumors.com) Marc Stein and Jake Fischer also reported that New Orleans had reached out to several other candidates, including Spurs assistant Sean Sweeney and Pistons assistant Jarrett Jack. (hoopsrumors.com) Ham is now Bucks associate head coach on Doc Rivers’ staff after a two-year run as Lakers head coach that ended in 2024. Rondo has been a special assistant in Milwaukee since 2024. (hoopsrumors.com) The opening exists because New Orleans fired Willie Green on November 15, 2025, after a 2-10 start and named James Borrego interim head coach the same day. (nba.com 1) (nba.com 2) Borrego stayed in the mix after going 24-46 as interim coach, but the Pelicans still finished 26-56 and 11th in the Western Conference. (hoopsrumors.com) (nba.com 1) (nba.com 2) Joe Dumars, who was hired as executive vice president of basketball operations on April 17, 2025, is overseeing the search during a broader reset inside the organization. (nba.com) (nola.com) For Ham, the interview puts him back in the head coaching market less than two years after his Lakers exit. For the Pelicans, it shows the search has moved beyond internal options and into a wider field of current assistants and first-time candidates. (hoopsrumors.com) (roundtable.io)