‘An incredibly bright and promising day’ saw the proud franchise welcome Darvin Ham as its new coach.

SEGUNDO, California: Russell Westbrook, the point guard, stood off to the side of Darvin Ham’s introduction as the Los Angeles Lakers’ new coach on Monday in a clear demonstration of support for the hiring.

Following Westbrook’s turbulent first season in Los Angeles, Ham gave that support right back to the former league MVP.

“Don’t get it messed up: Russell Westbrook is one of the best players our league has ever seen, and there’s still a ton left in the tank,” Ham stated. “I don’t know why people tend to try to write him off.”

On the eve of the 2021 NBA Draft, Los Angeles acquired Westbrook, and the team went on to have one of its worst seasons ever. The Lakers finished No. 11 in the Western Conference with a 33-49 record, missing the playoffs entirely after being the preseason favorite to win the championship according to Las Vegas betting odds.

“Russ and I had some really, really great one-on-one convos, man, and the biggest word I think that came out of that, those discussions, was ‘sacrifice,'” stated Ham. “I anticipate him to be the same relentless, enthusiastic player that he has been throughout his entire career. He might not have the ball in his hand because of a lot of that right now. The majority of it now might have