Darvin Ham

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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, where he gained national attention by shattering the backboard on a slam dunk during the 1996 NCAA Tournament against the University of North Carolina. The dunk shifted momentum for Texas Tech, catapulting them to the first 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" & "Darvin 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.

It has been recently announced that he will play for the Orlando Magic in the Pepsi Pro Summer League from July 10-14, 2006.

[edit] External links

• Pals take former Piston