David Fizdale joins Lakers as assistant coach

The Los Angeles Lakers are adding an experienced coach to their staff, as they have agreed to a deal to hire David Fizdale.

Fizdale was pursued by several teams for lead assistant jobs before he decided to join Frank Vogel’s staff, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.

Fizdale was an assistant coach under Erik Spoelstra when the Miami Heat won back-to-back titles in 2012 and 2013, so he has a relationship with LeBron James. Fizdale was extremely popular among Heat players, and LeBron and Dwyane Wade publicly supported him when he was fired by the Memphis Grizzlies several years ago.

After falling short thanks in large part to key injuries this season, the Lakers are looking to retool and get back on track. Their roster will need some tweaking, but adding Fizdale to the coaching staff is a good start to their offseason.

Fizdale, 47, last coached when he was the head coach of the New York Knicks two seasons ago. Many prominent NBA people ripped the Knicks for making Fizdale a scapegoat, which was another sign of how popular he is around the league.