LA Lakers fire coach in worst way possible after awkward press conference

LA Lakers coach Frank Vogel was blindsided in the worst way possible, as journalists knew about his sacking before he did.

The Los Angeles Lakers fired coach Frank Vogel on Tuesday (AEST) in the wake of the team’s failure to reach the playoffs, the team confirmed in a statement.

Vogel, who led the Lakers to the NBA championship in 2020, leaves the club after three seasons.

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“This is an incredibly difficult decision to make, but one we feel is necessary at this point,” Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka said in a statement.

Speculation over Vogel’s future with the Lakers intensified after the team’s final regular season game on Monday (AEST), with ESPN reporting that the coach would be fired.

Just minutes before the Lakers beat Denver, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported leaked news the Lakers planned to fire Vogel on Tuesday — but the coach had no idea.

In an excruciatingly awkward post-game press conference, Vogel revealed he hadn’t been told anything about his future by Lakers bosses.

“I haven’t been told s**t and I’m going to enjoy tonight’s game, celebrate what these young guys did, in terms of scratching and clawing and impacting this game and getting a W, and we’ll deal with tomorrow tomorrow,” Vogel said when asked about his job status.

“I’m going to enjoy tonight’s game and what our guys did tonight and the way we finished out this season.”

Frank Vogel addresses reports he has coached his last game as head coach of the Lakers pic.twitter.com/QxXiIfyibW

— Rob Perez (@WorldWideWob) April 11, 2022

Former Lakers Robert Horry and James Worthy discussed the situation on the Spectrum Sports post-game show and were frustrated with the timing of Wojnarowski’s tweet.

“For Woj to come out and say this, it’s unfair,” Horry said.

“I agree,” Worthy said. “Tomorrow maybe? But a minute after the game, give the coach a press conference after the game.”

The Lakers finished the 2021-2022 campaign 11th in the Western Conference, missing the postseason with a dismal record of 33 wins and 49 losses.

“I have a tremendous amount of respect for Frank both on and off the court,” Pelinka added.

“Frank is a great coach and a good man. We will forever be grateful to him for his work in guiding us to the 2019-20 NBA championship.

“All of us here wish Frank and his wonderful family all the best for the future.”

Frank Vogel (right) was cut loose. Harry How/Getty Images/AFP

Lakers star LeBron James spoke about his future at the franchise before the team cut Vogel loose, saying he respected the coach.

“I respect Frank (Vogel) as a coach, as a man,” James said. “Our partnership that we’ve had over a few years here has been nothing but just candid, great conversations.”

Originally published as LA Lakers fire coach in worst way possible after awkward press conference