Frank Vogel, Lakers Agree to Contract Extension; Terms Not Disclosed
August 7, 2021
The Los Angeles Lakers capped a day full of announcements with a new bit of information: Head coach Frank Vogel isn't going anywhere.
The 27th head coach in Lakers history agreed to a contract extension with Los Angeles, the team said Friday. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
In two seasons with the team, Vogel is 94-49 in the regular season and 18-9 in the playoffs. He guided the club to an NBA title in 2019-20 and helped push the exhausted 2020-21 team back to the postseason.
The 48-year-old previously served as head coach for the Orlando Magic and Indiana Pacers.
In a release announcing the extension, the Lakers touted Vogel's leading the team to the No. 1-ranked defense in 2020-21—the third time a Vogel-coached team has sat atop defensive metrics.
According to USA Today's Mark Medina, Vogel's deal was set to expire following the 2021-22 season. Now there's no doubt who will lead the Lakers into the future alongside LeBron James.
The Lakers welcomed a number of new and returning players to the franchise Friday, including Russell Westbrook, Carmelo Anthony, Kent Bazemore, Talen Horton-Tucker, Malik Monk, Kendrick Nunn, Trevor Ariza and Wayne Ellington.
Equally as important as securing the team's starting point guard was holding on to a coach who knows how to manage a team with championship aspirations.
Harrison Faigen of Silver Screen and Roll noted Vogel is the first Lakers coach to receive a contract extension since Phil Jackson in 2007. Since then, the club has cycled through Mike Brown (2011-2012), Bernie Bickerstaff (2012), Mike D'Antoni (2012-2014), Byron Scott (2014-2016) and Luke Walton (2016-2019).