Lakers set to relieve Frank Vogel of coaching duties
Frank Vogel is out as the Los Angeles Lakers head coach, ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported late Sunday night.
According to the report, the team is expected to make a formal announcement about the coaching change on Monday before starting a wide-ranging search for their next HC.
Wojnarowski's report surfaced during the Lakers' Sunday match-up against the Denver Nuggets. Vogel told reporters after the 146-141 overtime win that he "hasn't heard s--t" about losing his job and that he would "deal with tomorrow, tomorrow."
Vogel originally signed a three-year contract with Los Angeles in 2019 and received a one-year extension that would have made him coach through the 2022-23 campaign.
Despite leading the Lakers to an NBA championship in the 2020 COVID bubble, Vogel's team struggled in its next two seasons. The 2021-22 season was especially underwhelming, with L.A. unable to stay healthy or create any real momentum. Big-name players LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and Russel Westbrook never found chemistry — when they were all healthy enough to play together — and the rest of the team couldn't pick up the slack.
The Lakers were officially eliminated from playoff contention last Tuesday.
More must-reads: