After a long and highly-publicized search, the Los Angeles Lakers have finally settled on their new man.
The Lakers agreed to a deal on Sunday with veteran coach Frank Vogel to take over at the team’s helm. The 42-year-old coach previously served as the head coach of the Indiana Pacers and the Orlando Magic.
Vogel was the first coach to accept an offer from the Lakers after Monty Williams and Ty Lue rejected the franchise’s respective offers.
This isn’t Vogel’s first stint with the Lakers, as he served as an advance scout for the team in the 2005-06 season.
The New Jersey native spent the 2018-19 season out of coaching after he was fired by the Orlando Magic after the previous season. Vogel spent two years with the team, coaching them to back-to-back 50 loss seasons.
Vogel’s more successful tenure as a coach was in Indiana, where he qualified for the playoffs in 5 of the 6 seasons he coached there. He led the Pacers to two division titles as well as one trip to the Eastern Conference Finals.
Now, the Lakers will look to Vogel to lead the team after a severely disappointing year. With LeBron James and young stars like Kyle Kuzma and Lonzo Ball in the mix, he’ll be expected to compete immediately.
Vogel’s deal is reportedly for a length of three seasons.
