Lakers fire Frank Vogel as head coach after disappointing 2021-22 campaign

"I have a tremendous amount of respect for Frank both on and off the court," Lakers VP of basketball operations and general manager Rob Pelinka said in a statement. "Frank is a great coach and a good man. We will forever be grateful to him for his work in guiding us to the 2019-20 NBA championship. This is an incredibly difficult decision to make, but one we feel is necessary at this point. All of us here wish Frank and his wonderful family all the best for the future."

Rumors originally surfaced on Sunday during the Lakers' regular-season finale against the Denver Nuggets that Vogel was being let go by the team. When asked about the news after the game, Vogel said he hadn't heard anything with regard to losing his job. He, of course, has now.

Vogel kicked off his three-season tenure with the Lakers by helping lead them to an NBA title in 2020. After being booted from the first round of the playoffs in 2021, L.A. was favored to rebound in 2022 behind a blockbuster trade for former MVP Russell Westbrook and a strong cast of players led by LeBron James and Anthony Davis. The team instead floundered all season due to injuries and an inability to find any sustainable chemistry and missed the playoffs altogether. 

The Lakers were officially eliminated from playoff contention last week and ended their season with a 33-49 record.