Former Indiana Pacers and Orlando Magic head coach Frank Vogel has signed a three-year deal to coach the Los Angeles Lakers, according to ESPN. Joining Vogel as a prominent assistant coach for the Lakers will be former Brooklyn Nets and Milwaukee Bucks head coach Jason Kidd.
Vogel was the third candidate offered the job. Previously, Monty Williams and then Ty Lue had been in negotiations to take over the Lakers, but talks broke down in both cases. Lue had formerly coached superstar Laker LeBron James in Cleveland, where they won a championship in 2016, but he reportedly wanted a five-year deal to come aboard that Los Angeles owner Jeannie Buss would not accept.
Though Vogel had two subpar seasons with the Orlando Magic, he went 250-181 as the Pacers head coach from 2011–16. During his tenure, he coached the Pacers to two consecutive Eastern Conference Finals appearances (2013, 2014) and amassed the second-highest win total and win percentage (.580) in franchise history.
Newly hired assistant Kidd brings with him an already established relationship with James, whom he played with on the Olympic gold medal-winning USA Basketball team in 2008. And the Hall-of-Fame point guard Kidd is also expected to provide strong mentorship to help the development of Lakers point guard Lonzo Ball.
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