The Los Angeles Lakers announced late on Friday that they have extended the contract for head coach Frank Vogel. Vogel, who was hired to replace Luke Walton in the summer of 2019 had one more season under contract on his original deal.
Vogel is the first Lakers head coach to receive a contract extension since Phil Jackson in 2017.
In just his first season at the helm of the purple and gold, the former Pacers and Magic head coach took the team to their 17th NBA championship despite plenty of adversity. Last season, he still managed to coach a top defensive unit despite missing his two superstars for large portions of the season.
Terms of the new contract extension have not yet been released or reported but it was necessary for Vogel to enter the season with some security and not as a coach with one foot out of the door.
Vogel’s coaching staff has seen some shakeups this season with both Jason Kidd and Lionel Hollins leaving. David Fizdale was hired to replace Kidd while Mike Penberthy was promoted from within the organization to take Hollins’ spot on the bench.
Vogel will have a difficult task this season with an almost entirely new roster. The Lakers seemingly have placed faith in him coaching up the defensive side of the ball to great success even while losing some of his top defenders but have provided him with much more offensive talent.
