Jeff Van Gundy buries Lakers coach Darvin Ham’s playing days

During the broadcast of Game 2 of the playoff series between the Los Angeles Lakers and Golden State Warriors on Thursday, ESPN returned from a commercial with video of Lakers coach, Darvin Ham, talking to his team during a time-out.

Mark Jackson, one of the two color commentators for ESPN, took the opportunity to speak about Ham.

Jackson mentioned that Ham was a former teammate, then called him a “great guy who once broke a backboard. I’m glad he’s got the opportunity. He’s done an outstanding job.”

His fellow commentator, Jeff Van Gundy, couldn’t miss the opportunity to crack a joke about Ham, asking if Ham broke the backboard “With his dunking or his shooting?”

Fighting through laughter, Jackson replied “Shots fired. With his dunking, man.”

Mark Jackson on Darvin Ham: A former teammate of mine. Great guy who once broke a backboard. I'm glad he's got the opportunity. He's done an outstanding job.

Jeff Van Gundy: With his dunking or his shooting? pic.twitter.com/P3KIKPNF1x

— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) May 5, 2023

And ESPN had proof. Shortly after Van Gundy’s joke, footage was shown of Ham, while in college at Texas Tech, dunking a ball and breaking the glass in a game against North Carolina.

And, there’s proof. pic.twitter.com/uTo9uVsCrR

— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) May 5, 2023

In Van Gundy’s defense, Ham breaking a backboard with a dunk doesn’t mean he didn’t ever do it with a shot. But we can say it’s pretty unlikely.

Ham actually had a lengthy pro career. He went undrafted, but signed with the Denver Nuggets, where he was a teammate of Jackson’s. Both were later teammates with the Indiana Pacers, as well. Ham later played with the Washington Wizards, Milwaukee Bucks, Atlanta Hawks and was on the Detroit Pistons NBA Championship-winning team in 2004.