After the disappointing season without participating in the playoffs, the Los Angeles Lakers took the consequences. Head Coach Frank Vogel has coached his last game for the franchise.
After this first Adrian Wojnarowski (ESPN) had reported, the Lakers made the decision official on Monday evening German time. “I have a lot of respect for Frank, on and off the field,” said Rob Pelinka, vice president of basketball operations and general manager. “We will forever be grateful to him for giving us the championship. This is an incredibly difficult decision, but we believe it is necessary.”
There have been rumors for months that the head coach could be fired during the regular season, now the decision has been made with the last game of the regular season. Vogel’s contract would have been valid for one more season.
Curious: Vogel was confronted with the reports immediately after the overtime win against the Nuggets, saying: “I was told shit and I’m just going to enjoy this game now. We’ll take care of tomorrow tomorrow.”
Lakers Looking for Head Coach: Snyder or Rivers?
Now the Lakers have to look for a new head coach, according to Woj there is currently no “clear favorite”. In the past few days, the names of Quin Snyder (currently Utah Jazz) and Doc Rivers (currently Philadelphia 76ers) have been circulating, who could take over Vogel’s post.
Vogel took over the team three years ago and coached it directly to the title. In the past two years, however, the Lakers have not lived up to their expectations; In 2020/21 it was a playoff in the first round, this season LeBron James’ team won only 33 games and did not even reach the play-in tournament.
