The Lakers have hired a first-time head coach with a championship pedigree to lead them back to contention.

Following a month-and-a-half-long coaching search, the Lakers hired Milwaukee Bucks assistant coach Darvin Ham on Friday. The 48-year-old Michigan native checks a number of boxes for the organization: a former player and longtime assistant who has made title runs and boasts previous Lakers experience. ESPN was first to report that Ham was tapped as the franchise’s sixth head coach in 11 years and 28th overall.

Ham’s challenge will be immense: He’s tasked with making the Lakers a contender again after missing the playoffs last season, navigating a roster with superstar talent and matching egos and questionable depth while competing with an increasingly deep Western Conference.

Ham reportedly beat out two other finalists with head coaching experience: Terry Stotts and Kenny Atkinson.

For the last nine seasons, Ham sat at the hip of Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer while developing a reputation as one of the most qualified assistants to make the leap to head coach. He was also an assistant with the Lakers from 2011 to 2013 under Mike Brown.

Born in Saginaw, Michigan, Ham cut his teeth as a journeyman wing for eight NBA seasons, winning a championship with the Detroit Pistons against the Lakers in 2004. As a player, Ham was an explosive athlete who went toe-to-toe with a young Kobe Bryant in the 1997 dunk contest.

As a coach, Ham is known for his charismatic presence in the locker room – a trait that Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka said the team would look for at the start of the search. He carries a reputation of toughness and no-nonsense accountability, but also as a relationship-builder: He’s worked with stars such as Giannis Antetokounmpo, Khris Middleton, Jrue Holiday and Al Horford. He was the lead assistant of the Bucks team that won the 2021 title.

Ham’s presence has been cited both on and off the court: He was one of the big voices who led to Milwaukee’s 2020 decision to walk out of its playoff game against the Orlando Magic, leading to a league-wide stoppage in response to social justice issues. He interviewed for the Washington Wizards’ job last offseason (a position Lakers assistant Phil Handy also interviewed for) and was reportedly a candidate for the Sacramento Kings in their coaching search. This year, he was widely reported to be a top candidate for the Charlotte Hornets.

At least one of his key players next season had a strong endorsement on social media. LeBron James tweeted after news of Ham’s hire broke: “So damn EXCITED!!!!!!!! Congrats and welcome Coach DHam!!”

Even so, Ham will find a seat with immediate pressure to win. He replaces Frank Vogel, who lasted just three seasons despite leading the Lakers to a championship in 2020. He inherits talented superstars who each include a catch-22: After his All-NBA third-team honor this past season, James turns 38 in December; Anthony Davis is entering his fourth season with the franchise but the last two have been plagued by injuries; Russell Westbrook struggled in a first season in L.A. that might well be his last.

Beyond their three highest-paid players, the Lakers have only three others – Kendrick Nunn, Talen Horton-Tucker and Austin Reaves – with guaranteed contracts or options heading into 2022-23. The team finished just 33-49 last season and has little draft equity or salary cap space to build out the rest of the roster.

The Lakers have so far retained Vogel’s assistant coaches during pre-draft evaluations, but it is unclear how many will be part of Ham’s staff. ESPN reported that the Lakers expect to assemble a staff with head coaching experience.

More to come on this story.