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.
