Los Angeles finished 33-49 and missed the 10-team Western Conference playoffs, a humiliating finale to a season that began with LeBron James, Anthony Davis, Russell Westbrook, Carmelo Anthony, and a veteran-laden supporting cast generally anticipated to challenge for another title.
Vogel was dismissed precisely 18 months after leading the Lakers to their 17th championship in his debut season. Almost nothing has gone well for the squad built by general manager Rob Pelinka and coached by Vogel, who went 127-98 in three seasons as head coach. He was under contract until the next season.
“Frank is an exceptional coach and a kind human being,” Pelinka stated in a statement. “We will be eternally indebted to him for taking us to the 2019-20 NBA title. This is an extremely tough decision, but one that we believe is required at the moment.”
Vogel’s impending termination was first reported by ESPN immediately following the Lakers’ season-ending overtime victory against Denver on Sunday night. Vogel confessed at an uncomfortable postgame press conference that he had not been informed of the club’s decision prior to it being leaked to ESPN.
It was a depressing, humiliating finish to a remarkable stint for Vogel, a former coach at Orlando and Indiana. The Lakers won a title on the Florida bubble in October 2020 but did not advance farther in the playoffs the next two seasons.
