Frank Paul Vogel (born June 21, 1973) is an American professional

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular court, compete with the primary objective of shooting a basketball (approximately in diameter) through the defender's h ...

coach. He previously served as the head coach for the Los Angeles Lakers, Orlando Magic and Indiana Pacers of the

National Basketball Association The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United St ...

(NBA). Vogel also previously served as an assistant coach of the Pacers, Philadelphia 76ers and Boston Celtics. He coached the Lakers to an

NBA championship The NBA Finals is the annual championship series of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The Eastern and Western Conference champions play a best-of-seven game series to determine the league champion. The team that wins the series is awa ...

in 2020.

Early years

Vogel grew up in

Wildwood Crest, New Jersey Wildwood Crest is a borough in Cape May County, New Jersey. It is part of the Ocean City metropolitan statistical area in the South Jersey region of the state. As of the 2020 United States census, the borough's population was 3,101, a decreas ...

. During his eighth grade year, he was featured in an episode of '' Late Night with David Letterman'' during the Stupid Human Tricks segment, in which he spun a basketball on a toothbrush while brushing his teeth. On December 10, 1990, Vogel's childhood home caught fire and everything in the house was destroyed. Vogel, who was 17 years old at the time, and his mother—the only two people in the house at the time—escaped out of a window. Vogel graduated from

Wildwood High School Wildwood High School is a comprehensive community public high school that serves students in ninth through twelfth grades from Wildwood, in Cape May County, New Jersey. It is the sole secondary school of the Wildwood City School District. ...

in 1991. At

Juniata College Juniata College is a private liberal arts college in Huntingdon, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1876 as a co-educational school, it was the first college started by members of the Church of the Brethren as a center for vocational learning for those wh ...

Huntingdon, Pennsylvania Huntingdon is a borough in (and the county seat of) Huntingdon County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is located along the Juniata River, approximately east of Altoona and west of Harrisburg. With a population of 7,093 at the 2010 census ...

, Vogel was a starter for the Division III basketball team. In 1994, Vogel transferred to the

University of Kentucky The University of Kentucky (UK, UKY, or U of K) is a public land-grant research university in Lexington, Kentucky. Founded in 1865 by John Bryan Bowman as the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Kentucky, the university is one of the state ...

. Vogel served as the student manager for the Kentucky Wildcats men's team under head coach

Rick Pitino Richard Andrew Pitino (born September 18, 1952) is an American college basketball coach who is the head coach for Iona College. He was also the head coach of Greece's senior national team. He has been the head coach of several teams in NCAA ...

in the 1994–95 season. The following season, Pitino resurrected the school's junior varsity team, and Vogel played for them. Vogel graduated from Kentucky with a

B.S. A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for programs that generally last three to five years. The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Science was the University ...

biology Biology is the scientific study of life. It is a natural science with a broad scope but has several unifying themes that tie it together as a single, coherent field. For instance, all organisms are made up of cells that process hereditary i ...

in 1998.

Coaching career

Boston Celtics (2001–2004)

Vogel began his career as the head video coordinator for the Boston Celtics under head coach

. He retained that position for five years before being promoted to assistant coach in the 2001–02 season.

Philadelphia 76ers (2004–2005)

After coaching with Boston, Vogel went on to become an assistant for the Philadelphia 76ers. Vogel left the 76ers to become an advance scout for the Los Angeles Lakers from 2005 to 2006 and the

Washington Wizards The Washington Wizards are an American professional basketball team based in Washington, D.C. The Wizards compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Southeast Division. The team plays ...

from 2006 to 2007.

Indiana Pacers (2007–2016)

Vogel became an assistant for the Indiana Pacers in 2007 under former Celtics colleague Jim O'Brien. On January 30, 2011, after O'Brien was fired from his head coaching position, Vogel was named interim coach. As interim coach, Vogel led the Pacers to the playoffs for the first time since 2006. Vogel was officially named as the Pacers' head coach on July 6, 2011. Shortly before the Indiana Pacers were to take on the

Miami Heat The Miami Heat are an American professional basketball team based in Miami. The Heat compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Southeast Division. The club plays its home games at FT ...

in the 2012 Eastern Conference semifinals, Vogel criticized his opponents for alleged flopping: "They are the biggest flopping team in the NBA. It'll be very interesting (to see) how the referees officiate the series and how much flopping they reward... Every drive to the basket, they have guys not making a play on the ball, but sliding in front of drivers. Often times they're falling down even before contact is even being made. It'll be interesting to see how the series is officiated." He was fined $15,000 by the league for these remarks. Frank Vogel at NBA Cares charity event February 14 2014 cropped

Frank Vogel at NBA Cares charity event February 14 2014 cropped

On April 7, 2013, the Pacers clinched their first Central Division title since the 2003–04 season. They finished the 2012–13 season with a 49–32 record, clinching the third seed in the Eastern Conference. After defeating both the

Atlanta Hawks The Atlanta Hawks are an American professional basketball team based in Atlanta. The Hawks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Southeast Division. The team plays its home games at ...

and the New York Knicks in six games, the Pacers went on to face the

in the Eastern Conference Finals. In Game 1, the Pacers were defeated by the Heat 103–102 in overtime after

LeBron James LeBron Raymone James Sr. (; born December 30, 1984) is an American professional basketball player for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Nicknamed "King James", he is widely considered one of the greatest p ...

drove by

Paul George Paul Clifton Anthony George (born May 2, 1990) is an American professional basketball player for the Los Angeles Clippers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Nicknamed "PG-13", he is a seven-time NBA All-Star and six-time member of th ...

for a wide-open layup with 2.2 seconds left on the clock. Vogel was roundly criticized for leaving the Pacers' primary defender,

Roy Hibbert Roy Denzil Hibbert (born December 11, 1986) is a Jamaican-American former professional basketball player. He is a two-time NBA All-Star, and earned NBA All-Defensive Second Team honors in 2014. Hibbert was the runner-up for the NBA Defensive Play ...

, on the bench during the final play. Vogel said that he made that decision out of concern of

Chris Bosh Christopher Wesson Bosh (born March 24, 1984) is an American former professional basketball player. A Texas Mr. Basketball in high school, he played one season of college basketball for Georgia Tech before declaring for the 2003 NBA draft. Bo ...

and acknowledged that he might do it differently next time. In a back-and-forth series where neither team won consecutive games, the Pacers lost in seven games. On January 14, 2014, Vogel was named the Eastern Conference head coach for the

2014 NBA All-Star Game The 2014 NBA All-Star Game was an exhibition basketball game that was played on February 16, 2014, during the National Basketball Association's (NBA) 2013–14 season. It was the 63rd edition of the NBA All-Star Game, and was played at Smooth ...

. He had guided the team to their best start in franchise history, en route to a 56–26 record, good for first in the Eastern Conference. However, for the second consecutive year, the Pacers lost to the Miami Heat in the Conference Finals. Vogel signed a two-year contract extension with the Indiana Pacers, to keep him through 2016. With

missing all but six games of the season due to injury, the Pacers just missed the playoffs due to tiebreakers with the Brooklyn Nets. Vogel brought the team back to the playoffs with a retooled and rejuvenated roster the following season, however they fell to the Toronto Raptors in seven games in the first round. On May 5, 2016, following the loss to the Raptors, Pacers' president

Larry Bird Larry Joe Bird (born December 7, 1956) is an American former professional basketball player, coach, and executive in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Nicknamed "the Hick from French Lick" and "Larry Legend", Bird is widely regarded a ...

announced that Vogel's contract would not be renewed, citing a need for "a new voice" to lead the players. He departed Indiana as the franchise's all-time leader in NBA wins ( Bobby "Slick" Leonard has the most total victories as the Pacers' head coach, with the majority coming in the ABA).

Orlando Magic (2016–2018)

On May 20, 2016, Vogel was named the head coach of the Orlando Magic. He oversaw a young, developing team and dealt with a change in the front office after his first year when Rob Hennigan, the general manager who hired him, was replaced with John Hammond. He went 54–110, missing the playoffs both seasons. On April 12, 2018, Vogel was fired by the Magic after the conclusion of the 2017–18 season.

Los Angeles Lakers (2019–2022)

On May 13, 2019, Vogel was named the head coach of the Los Angeles Lakers. In his first season in 2019–20, the Lakers developed into one of the league's top defensive teams. He led the team to a 52–19 record and an NBA championship, having the best record in the Western Conference and third-best record in the league. Vogel was named a head coach of

2020 NBA All-Star Game The 2020 NBA All-Star Game was an exhibition basketball game that was played on February 16, 2020, during the National Basketball Association's (NBA) 2019–20 season. It was the 69th edition of the NBA All-Star Game, and was played at the United ...

due to the Lakers holding the best record in the West. In the playoffs, the Lakers defeated the

Portland Trail Blazers The Portland Trail Blazers (colloquially known as the Blazers) are an American professional basketball team based in Portland, Oregon. The Trail Blazers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Con ...

, Houston Rockets, and Denver Nuggets in five games each. In the

2020 NBA Finals The 2020 NBA Finals was the championship series of the National Basketball Association's (NBA) 2019–20 season and conclusion of the season's playoffs. In this best-of-seven playoff series, the Western Conference champion Los Angeles Laker ...

, they beat the

in six games to claim the 17th NBA title in Lakers' history, tying Boston for the most championships. The team spent over 100 days in the NBA bubble after the season resumed from its four-month suspension due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...

. In his second season, the Lakers finished with a 42–30 record as Anthony Davis and

sustained injuries throughout the season. Training camp began 71 days after the end of the NBA Finals, the shortest NBA offseason ever. The Lakers were 21–6 when Davis injured his

Achilles In Greek mythology, Achilles ( ) or Achilleus ( grc-gre, Ἀχιλλεύς) was a hero of the Trojan War, the greatest of all the Greek warriors, and the central character of Homer's '' Iliad''. He was the son of the Nereid Thetis and Pele ...

, which sidelined him for 30 games. They advanced from the play-in tournament and made the playoffs as the No. 7 seed, but were eliminated in the first round by the eventual Western Conference champion Phoenix Suns in six games. After trading for

Russell Westbrook Russell Westbrook III (born November 12, 1988) is an American professional basketball player for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). A member of the NBA 75th Anniversary Team, he is a nine-time NBA All-Star and ...

, the Lakers entered the 2021–22 season as the favorites to win the conference. Vogel used 41 different starting lineups, as James and Davis again missed significant time to injuries. The Lakers finished 11th in the Western Conference with a 33–49 record and missed the playoffs. On April 11, 2022, Vogel was fired by the Lakers. He went 127–98 in three seasons.

Head coaching record

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Indiana Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th s ...

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L.A. Lakers The Los Angeles Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Lakers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Pacific Division. The Lakers play their ...

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Personal life

Vogel married his wife Jenifer in 2002. They have two daughters.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Vogel, Frank 1973 births American men's basketball players Basketball coaches from New Jersey Basketball players from New Jersey Boston Celtics assistant coaches Indiana Pacers assistant coaches Indiana Pacers head coaches Juniata Eagles men's basketball players Living people Los Angeles Lakers head coaches National Basketball Association championship-winning head coaches Orlando Magic head coaches People from Wildwood Crest, New Jersey Philadelphia 76ers assistant coaches Sportspeople from Cape May County, New Jersey University of Kentucky alumni