A Los Angeles Lakers head coach joined the Golden State Warriors coaching staff ahead of the 2026-2027 NBA season.
Frank Vogel, who coached the Lakers to the 2020 NBA championship, will be joining Steve Kerr on the Warriors’ coaching staff next season.
Steve Kerr’s Great Pitch To Get The Services Of Former Lakers Coach Frank Vogel
According to Vogel, Kerr came to him with an incredible pitch that he just cannot turn down. Vogel said the biggest selling point for the job was that he will be handling the defensive side of the Warriors next season.
“He made a great pitch and how I could come in here and make an impact on their team,” Vogel, 53, said in his interview with the Bay Area News Group. “That I would run the defense, and that there’s nobody in the league that they would want more to do it than me.”
“When you put in this type of work for the 25 or so years that I’ve been doing it, you reach a level of expertise that you don’t want to go to waste. And I love just being able to take all of the battle scars and all the knowledge that I’ve accumulated over the years, and using that to contribute to a group that is trying to do something special.”
Vogel, known for his defensive strategies with the Indiana Pacers and the Lakers, is expected to spearhead defensive game-planning and scheming, filling the void left by departing assistants like Terry Stotts and Jerry Stackhouse.
He brings 12 seasons of head coaching experience with the Pacers, Orlando Magic, Lakers, and Phoenix Suns. Before coming to the Bay Area, he spent two seasons on the coaching staff for the Dallas Mavericks.
Kerr and Vogel are flanked by a robust group of assistant coaches, including the long-tenured defensive mastermind Ron Adams, alongside Bruce Fraser, Seth Cooper, Kris Weems, Jacob Rubin, Anthony Vereen, Nicholas Kerr, and Khalid Robinson.
Frank Vogel Set To Coach One Of The Greatest Defenders In NBA History
With the Warriors, Frank Vogel will be coaching Draymond Green, who many regard as one of the greatest defenders in NBA history.
Vogel’s defensive mind was often anchored by an elite defender at the rim. In Indiana, it was Roy Hibbert. In the Lakers, it was Anthony Davis.
In Golden State, it will surely be Draymond Green.
“One of the first things I told (Steve) is my number one job right now is you know obviously lend my experience and give insight,” Vogel said. “But whatever I can take off his plate, so he can really focus on the task at hand, I’m happy to do that, and really, honestly, excited to do that for him.”
“He’s a guy that not only plays defense at a high level, but he commands that everyone around him does so as well,” Vogel said. “To me, that’s just a blessing. It’s everything you want as a coach who is going to run the defense. He is exactly who you want your starting point to be.”
Vogel’s defensive mind would be crucial in the Warriors’ plans next season as they look to chase another NBA championship before the retirement of franchise icon Stephen Curry, who will be turning 39 years old next season.
Last season, the Warriors did not reach the NBA playoffs after losing in the play-in tournament.
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