The Sports Report: A look at Lakers coach Darvin Ham’s interesting life

Howdy, I’m your host, Houston Mitchell. On Sunday, the Rams sat idle as their fans wondered if Baker Mayfield can lead them to a respectable finish. Dodger fans continued to wonder if their team would leave their stockings empty this holiday season.

The Chargers ........... The Lakers continued to look either really good or really terrible. The Kings scored a lot but gave up a lot too. And the World Cup took a brief break before an unlikely semifinal that few predicted. We also rank USC’s Heisman Trophy winners.

But we start with an in-depth look at Lakers coach Darvin Ham by Dan Woike. Did you know that Ham was once shot in the face? Spent 11 days in the hospital. Nearly died. He was 14. Learn the circumstances and the amazing journey of Ham’s life before he became coach of the Lakers.

From Dan Woike: The bullet pierced the right side of Darvin Ham’s cheek, glanced off his jaw and lodged in the back of his neck.

It was April 5, 1988, a trip for pizza and soda with his older brother that went horribly wrong. A spray of bullets almost made Ham another casualty of his hometown.

Instead, it became a defining moment in the life of the man who would become the Los Angeles Lakers’ 28th head coach.

Blood was everywhere. Ham nearly died, needing 11 days in the hospital.

“Fourteen years old,” Ham, 49, said in an exclusive interview with The Times. “Think about it. I could’ve died. At 14.”

His voice quaked as he recounted the trauma, the first in an adolescence littered with them.

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CHARGERS

From Jeff Miller: An emotional victory for the Chargers on Sunday night at SoFi Stadium was visible on the field - and off.

Moments after defeating Miami 23-17, coach Brandon Staley was asked about his animated behavior following a key late completion by quarterback Justin Herbert.

“I saw a lot of winning plays out there tonight,” he said. “They gave me a lot of reasons to be excited. That’s just the truth. There were a lot of big-plays out there…I went them to see me that way.

“Like I told them, ‘I’m not just doing that because I feel like it. I’m doing that because you guys made me do it.’ It was great for our team tonight. I thought our team played with a lot of energy.”

The Chargers stifled Dolphins’ quarterback Tua Tagovailoa and an offense that entered as one the NFL’s best, particularly through the air.

Tagovaila, one of the league’s most accurate passers through 13 weeks, finished 10 of 28 for 145 yards, 60 of which came on one completion, a third-quarterback touchdown to Tyreek Hill.

His 112 passer rating was on pace to break Miami’s franchise record for a single season. Tagovailoa’s rating Sunday: 65.3

“Defensively, we just answered all the challenges in the game,” Staley said. “They’re having a tremendous year offensively. They have a lot of weapons. We’re down a ton of guys.

“But you saw the competitiveness within our program, guys trying to prove themselves and showcase themselves to the league and also showcase our defense to the league.”

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USC FOOTBALL

From David Wharton: When it comes to Heisman Trophy winners, the subject of USC’s long and storied history with the prestigious college football award is bound to spark a few arguments.

Should Reggie Bush be part of the conversation, given that officials took back his 2005 trophy for NCAA violations? What about O.J. Simpson and his subsequent fall from grace?

Now, with quarterback Caleb Williams becoming the eighth Trojan to be handed the famous bronze statue, no other school has more and we might as well add another debate to the list.

See how we rank USC’s Heisman winners by clicking here

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KINGS

Johnny Gaudreau scored 40 seconds into overtime and the Columbus Blue Jackets beat the Kings 6-5 Sunday night for their second straight win.

Jack Roslovic had two goals and two assists, Patrik Laine had a goal and two assists, and Boone Jenner and rookie Kirill Marchenko also scored for the Blue Jackets. Gaudreau and Vladislav Gavrikov each had two assists and Elvis Merzilikins stopped 33 shots.

Anze Kopitar scored twice, and Blake Lizotte, Jaret Anderson-Dolan and Adrian Kemp also had goals for the Kings, who earned a point after rallying from two two-goal deficits. Jonathan Quick finished with 20 saves.

WORLD CUP

From Kevin Baxter in Qatar: Morocco has gone on and Brazil has gone home. Lionel Messi is still playing, and Cristiano Ronaldo is not.

A World Cup that began in controversy and uncertainty will end with history being made, though exactly what kind of history remains to be seen. Perennial favorites Germany, Belgium, England, Spain and now Brazil are out. Morocco, France, Croatia and Argentina remain.

France has a chance to become the first repeat winner in 60 years, but first it must get past Morocco, the only African team ever to reach the final four, in Wednesday’s semifinal. Messi, arguably the greatest player of his generation, could finally add a world championship to a resume that includes every other prize, but he and Argentina must first get past Croatia, the runner-up four years ago, in Tuesday’s semifinal.

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Schedule
All times Pacific
Quarterfinals

Friday’s results
Croatia 1, Brazil 1, Croatia advances on penalties, 4-2
Argentina 2, Netherlands 2, Argentina advances on penalties, 4-3

Saturday’s results
Morocco 1, Portugal 0
France 2, England 1

Semifinals
Tuesday
Argentina vs. Croatia, 11 a.m., Fox, Telemundo, Peacock

Wednesday
France vs. Morocco, 11 a.m., Fox, Telemundo, Peacock

Third-place match
Saturday
Matchup TBD, 7 a.m., Fox, Telemundo, Peacock

Championship match
Sunday
Matchup TBD, 7 a.m., Fox, Telemundo, Peacock

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Complete World Cup coverage

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THIS DATE IN SPORTS

1937 — Rookie Sammy Baugh throws second-half touchdown passes of 55, 78 and 33 yards to overcome a 14-7 Chicago lead and give the Washington Redskins a 28-21 victory over the Chicago Bears for the NFL championship.

1953 — Maurice Richard of the Montreal Canadiens becomes the NHL’s all-time leading scorer with a goal and two assists in a 7-2 victory against the New York Rangers. Richard finishes the game with 611 points, one more than injured linemate Elmer Lach, who has held the record since February 1952.

1965 — Chicago’s Gale Sayers scores six touchdowns with 336 combined yards to lead the Bears to a 61-20 rout of the San Francisco 49ers. The six TDs give Sayers an NFL-record 21 for the season. Sayers’ first touchdown is a reception, the next four rushing and the final, an 85-yard punt return.

1971 — Bobby Hull of the Chicago Blackhawks scores his 1,000th point with an assist in the first period of a 5-3 victory over the Minnesota North Stars.

1977 — NBA Commissioner Larry O’Brien fined Kermit Washington $10,000 and suspends the Lakers forward for at least 60 days (26 games) for punching Houston’s Rudy Tomjanovich during a game on Dec. 9. The suspension is the longest ever in NBA history and the fine is the maximum permissible under league rules.

1986 — James “Bonecrusher” Smith knocks out Tim Witherspoon in the first round to win the WBA heavyweight title in New York.

1987 — Guard Mookie Blaylock leads Oklahoma to an NCAA-record 33 steals with 13 in a 152-84 victory over Centenary.

1990 — Connecticut uses a stifling press and quickness to jump to a 32-0 lead en route to an 85-32 victory over New Hampshire. New Hampshire plays 11 minutes and 48 seconds before scoring its first point.

2015 — Keenan Reynolds ends his Navy career with a clean sweep against Army. Reynolds rushes for two touchdowns and throws for another score to lead the No. 21 Midshipmen to their 14th straight win over the Black Knights, 21-17. Reynolds is the first quarterback over the 116-game series to go 4-0.

2015 — The Golden State Warriors’ NBA-record start ends at 24 wins when the Milwaukee Bucks beat them 108-95.

2016 — Tom Brady connects with Chris Hogan for a 79-yard touchdown pass in the fourth quarter to help the New England Patriots overcome a sloppy second half and claim a 30-23 win over the Baltimore Ravens. Brady throws for 406 yards and three touchdowns, becoming the fourth NFL quarterback with at least 450 career touchdown passes. He also throws just his second interception of the season.

Compiled by the Associated Press

And finally

Baker Mayfield’s game-winning drive Thursday to lead Rams past Raiders. Watch and listen here.