Wednesday Where Are They Now?: Darvin Ham, Texas Tech

Ever wonder what happened to those college stars that couldn't catch on in the NBA? The guys that put up the great numbers or the guys that left early, and were never heard from again? Every Wednesday, we at BIAH will take a look at a former college star that never made it in the NBA, and we will update you on where he is playing or what he is doing. We're guessing the results will surprise you. To request a player, hit us up on twitter @ballinisahabit or via email at contactbiah@gmail.com.

Darvin Ham, Texas Tech

I'm not going to lie, Darvin Ham was one of my favorite basketball players when I was growing up. It was a weird combination, I will admit. Ham is from Saginaw, MI, while I hail from North Haven, CT. Ham went to Texas Tech, and as most of you know I grew up a UConn fan. Ham played eight seasons in the NBA as nothing more than a role player, having his best season with the Bucks and winning a title with Detroit. I don't even watch the NBA. No, I became a fan of the "Ham Slam-wich" when he shattered the back board on a tip-dunk in Texas Tech's upset win over North Carolina in the 1996 NCAA Tournament, making the cover of SI in the process.



It wasn't always that easy for Ham, however. As a 14 year old, Ham was nearly killed after being struck in the jaw by a stray bullet in his neighborhood. He didn't even play basketball until his senior year in high school, after his father forced him to quit football because of his grades. Ham wound up at Otero Junior College, where Texas Tech coaches discovered him at a JuCo showcase.

Ham made an immediate impact with the Red Raiders, averaging 8.2 ppg and 5.4 rpg in his first season in 1993-1994. As a junior in 1994-1995, Ham's number went down a bit, but Tech won a share of the Southwest Conference's regular season title and advanced to the 1995 NIT. But his senior season is the one that everyone will remember. Ham averaged 9.1 ppg and 5.7 rpg for a Red Raider team that went 30-2, won both the Southwest Conference regular season and tournament titles, and advanced to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament, which included the aforementioned upset of North Carolina.

When Ham left Tech, he was the furthest thing from an NBA prospect. 6'7" combo-forwards with out a post-move or a jump shot don't generally go in the lottery. But after going undrafted in the 1996 NBA Draft, Ham impressed the Denver Nuggets enough to offer him a contract. He spent most of the year playing sparingly for the Nuggets, seeing action in just 23 games, before being traded to Indiana in February of 1997.

The Pacers would eventually let Ham go, and he signed with Washington for the 1997-1998 season. Ham would finally get some consistent minutes with Washington, playing in 71 games and earning three starts. His numbers were unimpressive -- 2.0 ppg and 1.8 rpg -- which played a part in Ham's departure from the NBA.


He wasn't gone for long -- spending one season playing for Spain's CB Grenada -- before returning and joining the Milwaukee Bucks, where he would have his most productive seasons. In the 1999-2000 season, Ham averaged 5.1 ppg and 4.9 rpg while getting 21 starts. The following season, he started 13 games and in 2001-2002, Ham played in 70 games, averaging 4.3 ppg, but for the first time in his Bucks career, Ham missed the playoffs.

Ham would spend the next season with Atlanta before moving on to Detroit. Ham spent two seasons in Detroit, winning a ring in 2003-2004, his first season with the Pistons. Ham was the perfect piece for a Larry Brown team, as the legendary head coach was once quoted as saying "every team needs a Darvin Ham."

In 2005, Ham's NBA career ended, and he began a journey through professional basketball. In 2006, he spent time playing with Talk N' Text Phone Pals of the Phillipine Basketball Association, but after a disappointing finish and even more disappointing treatment while there, Ham decided to return to the States.

He had gigs as an analyst on Fox Sports Southwest as well as NBA TV, but in 2007 he returned to playing, becoming the third pick in the 2007 NBDL Draft to the Albequerque T-Birds. He played most of one season with the T-Birds, eventually getting traded to the Austin Toros. After getting a couple of opportunities with NBA teams during summer leagues and preseasons, Ham called it a career, becoming an assistant coach with the T-Birds in 2008.

Over the summer, Ham was named head coach of the T-Birds, which helped to bring about this fantastic t-shirt promotion. Ham's son, Darvin Jr., will play next season at D-II Northwood University.