Even though Frank Vogel has only been the head coach of the Los Angeles Lakers for two seasons, it has seemed like a lot longer considering everything the organization has been through in his tenure.
It’s no secret that Vogel wasn’t the Lakers’ first choice during their 2019 coaching search. He was willing to accept a three-year contract though, which ultimately helped him land the job.
In Vogel’s two seasons, he helped guide them through the death of franchise legend Kobe Bryant as well as a global pandemic. While doing that, he led the Lakers to the organization’s 17th championship in the Orlando bubble in his first season with the team.
While Vogel didn’t get the results he wanted last season with the Lakers being eliminated in the first round of the playoffs, he still led them to the top-rated defense in the league despite numerous key players missing a significant amount of time.
Vogel went into this summer with only one year left on his contract, although that changed when the Lakers announced they signed him to an extension.
The Lakers did not release the terms of the deal, but many assumed it was just for one extra year, taking him through the 2022-23 season when both LeBron James and Russell Westbrook’s contracts are up. Bill Oram, Shams Charania and Sam Amick of The Athletic confirmed in a report on Monday morning that the extension was in fact for one more season:
Multiple sources told The Athletic that Vogel’s extension added only one year to his contract, securing him through 2022-23.
Considering the stability Vogel has brought to the Lakers organization over the last couple of seasons, it is a bit of a surprise that the organization wasn’t willing to commit to him for longer than one extra season.
This year’s Lakers team will have a solid chance of winning another championship though, so if Vogel can accomplish that then it’s hard to imagine the Lakers parting ways with him anytime soon.
Vogel still motivated to win championships
Oftentimes, players and coaches in the NBA could get complacent after winning their first championship. That is not the case for Vogel though as he recently stated that he is as motivated as ever to win another championship.
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