Deneitra Ham Family: Inside Darvin Ham Wife and Children

Deneitra Ham is the wife of a professional basketball coach Darvin Ham. The couple graduated from the same University, Texas Tech University.

Darvin Ham and his wife, Deneitra, co-founded Urban Youth Development, a nonprofit organization. The organization’s goal is to give kids free Basketball life skills programs.

Additionally, Daneitra is a teacher committed to addressing issues teens face across numerous networks. Darvin’s wife admitted to domestic abuse more than years ago after striking her husband Darvin in the head with a wine bottle.

She received probation for committing such a violent act and was also ordered to complete 30 hours of community service and enroll in an anger management program.

Age Gap Between Darvin Ham And Deneitra

There doesn’t seem to be much of a gap in age between Darvin Ham and his wife, Deneitra.  The couple seems to be in their 40s, and since Darvin is 49 years old, his wife might be in a similar age range.

Looking at their photos together, they don’t appear to be too young or too elderly for one another.

Darvin Ham and his wife, Deneitra Ham, are proud parents of three sons. Their sons’ names are Darvin Ham Jr, Donovan Ham, and Dominic Ham.

Their elder son Darvin Ham Jr followed in his father’s footsteps, he played basketball for Northwood University. Darvin’s son Donovan is 25, and Dominic is 22 years old.

Their Elder Son Is Assistant Coach

Darvin Ham Jr. played basketball at Northwood University from 2010 to 2014; he participated as a player. He was a player of the 2011–12 team that won the GLIAC North Division and had the most NCAA D2 victories in school history.

Ham was a GLIAC All-Star player and a 1,000-point club member throughout his career. He received his diploma in 2014, and in 2016 he played for Wolfenbuttel in the Pro B league in Germany.

Ham Jr. is currently in his second campaign as an assistant coach at Northwood. He is listed as working personally with the guards and being responsible for the overall development of the roster.

He also works with the program’s offensive strategy development and implementation. Darvin Ham Jr. is married to his wife, Champ, and the couple has two children.

Darvin Ham was born in Saginaw, Michigan, U.S, to his mother, Wilmer Jones-Ham. He has kept his father’s identity hidden from the media.

Her mother, Wilmer Jones-Ham, made history in 2001 when she became Saginaw’s first female mayor. She served for four years, from 2001 to 2005.

Ham attended Texas Tech University in 1993. He made national headlines while representing Texas Tech when, in the 1996 NCAA Tournament versus UNC, he shattered the backboard on a slam dunk.

The dunk changed the red Raiders’ momentum, which propelled them to the first Sweet 16 of the school’s history. Lance Hughes, a former college classmate, won the NCAA Slam Dunk Contest in 1995, and Ham did it in 1996.

Darvin Ham has a net worth of $2 million. He made $1.76 million during the 2001–2002 season while playing for the Milwaukee Bucks, which was his most significant salary.

The Lakers announced on June 3, 2022, in a news release, that Ham had been appointed as their new head coach. Ham played in the 1997 NBA Slam Dunk Contest and played for the 2004 NBA champion Detroit Pistons.

He averaged 5 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 1.6 blocks per game during his first postseason in Milwaukee, as the Bucks lost 3-2 to the eventual Eastern Conference champion Indiana Pacers. Ham started all five games of that series.

Ham earned the “Hammer play” title during his time in Milwaukee, which is now a well-known NBA offensive strategy.

His Awards:

As a player: NBA champion (2004)

As an assistant coach: NBA champion (2021)

The Denver Nuggets signed free agent Darvin Ham to a contract on October 1, 1996. Then, in February 1997, Denver exchanged him for Jerome Allen, sending him to the Indiana Pacers.

Ham later signed free-agent contracts with the Washington Wizards, Milwaukee Bucks, Atlanta Hawks, and Detroit Pistons.  When he played for the Milwaukee Bucks, his strong slams made him a fan favorite, earning him the nicknames “Dunkin Darvin” and “Ham Slamwich,” which he retained throughout the rest of his career.

Ham participated in the Basketball Without Borders program in Johannesburg, South Africa, in 2005, and he also played in the Dominican Republic in 2015.

He worked as a studio commentator for Fox Sports Southwest’s coverage of the Dallas Mavericks’ postseason run. Then, from July 10 to July 14, 2006, he joined the Orlando Magic summer league club.

Ham was selected as a Thunderbirds assistant coach in October 2008. He joined Mike Brown’s staff with the Los Angeles Lakers in October 2011 as an assistant coach, working with Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol, and Dwight Howard in a player development capacity.

Ham visited Venezuela in June 2011 on behalf of the US Department of State as a SportsUnited Sports Envoy. During this time, he visited Venezuelan sports officials and collaborated with Kayte Christensen to run basketball clinics for 300 young people from underprivileged communities.  

Ham supported SportsUnited’s mission to advance global inclusion and understanding through sport. He followed up on these initiatives by holding the second round of clinics for more than 200 young people in Myanmar.

Ham assisted Milwaukee’s head coach in leading the team to its second NBA championship in team history in 2020–21. In six games, the Bucks defeated the Phoenix Suns in the NBA Finals to win their first title since 1971. On June 3, 2022, he was appointed the Los Angeles Lakers head coach.