Darvin Ham (born July 23, 1973 in Saginaw, Michigan)
is a professional basketball player formerly in the
NBA. He attended Saginaw High School and Texas Tech
University. While playing for Texas Tech, he gained
national attention by shattering the backboard on a
slam dunk during the 1996 NCAA Tournament against
UNC. The dunk shifted momentum for the Red Raiders,
catapulting them to the second Sweet Sixteen in
school history. The dunk was featured on the cover
of Sports Illustrated.
Ham won the NCAA slam dunk contest in 1996,
following former Texas Tech teammate Lance Hughes'
win in 1995.
Ham competed in the 1997 NBA Slam Dunk Contest and
was a member of the 2004 NBA champion Detroit
Pistons. His powerful slams have earned him the
nickname "Dunkin Darvin" and "Ham Slamwich" from
George Blaha, the Pistons play-by-play announcer.
On January 17, 2006, Ham was enlisted by the
Philippine Basketball Association team Talk N Text
Phone Pals as its import. He averaged 16 points for
the Pals in the 2006 PBA Fiesta Conference Playoffs.
However, the Pals eventually lost to Air21 Express
in the series, 2–3.
In 2006, Ham served as a studio analyst for Fox
Sports Southwest's coverage of the Dallas Mavericks'
playoff run.
He is a son of Wilmer Jones Ham, who served as the
Mayor of Saginaw, 2001–2005. Darvin was a member of
the summer league team for the Orlando Magic in the
Pepsi Pro Summer League from July 10–14, 2006.
He played with the Dallas Mavericks in the 2007
preseason and was waived on October 24, 2007. He was
then drafted 3rd overall in the 2007 NBA D-League
draft by the Albuquerque Thunderbirds.
