Warriors hire Frank Vogel, LeBron James’ former coach, as assistant head coach

The Golden State Warriors may have just added a defensive specialist, a championship voice and a small piece of LeBron James bait all in one move.

Golden State has agreed to hire former Los Angeles Lakers head coach Frank Vogel as associate head coach under Steve Kerr, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania. Vogel fills the vacancy left by Terry Stotts, and is expected to take on a major role in the Warriors’ defensive game-planning after Jerry Stackhouse and Chris DeMarco previously helped lead that side of the staff.

On basketball terms alone, it is an easy hire to understand.

Vogel has long been respected as a defensive coach. He helped turn the Indiana Pacers into one of the Eastern Conference’s toughest teams during their battles with James’ Miami Heat; then coached James and the Lakers to the 2020 NBA championship inside the bubble.

Vogel’s arrival gives Golden State a chance to restore some of the defensive structure it has struggled to consistently find since Mike Brown left Kerr’s staff in 2022. The Warriors still have Draymond Green’s ability to quarterback a defense, but their identity on that end has not been as sharp or reliable in recent years.

Vogel should be able to give them a clearer blueprint, more creative ways to build around Green’s strengths and a better chance to pull consistent defensive buy-in from the rest of the roster.

But the James angle is impossible to ignore.

The record-breaker played three seasons for Vogel in LA, and while that partnership ended with Vogel’s firing after a disastrous 33-49 season in 2021-22, James publicly praised him on the way out.

“I respect Frank as a coach and as a man,” James said after Vogel was fired. “Our partnership that we’ve had over a few years here has been nothing but just candid. Great conversations. He’s a guy that gives everything to the game. Prepared us every single night along with his coaching staff as well. You’ve got to give those guys a lot of credit, too.”

Vogel’s firing had as much to do with a broken Lakers roster as anything else.

Injuries, poor construction and the failed Russell Westbrook experiment turned a title team into a lottery-level mess, and Vogel became the easiest person to move on from.

Now, he lands in Golden State at an uncannily convenient time.

The Warriors are still chasing Cleveland in the James sweepstakes, but the latest Polymarket odds suggest they have closed the gap with Miami for second place. As of this writing, Cleveland remains the favorite at 45%, while Golden State has climbed to 11 points and is now neck-and-neck with Miami.

If the Cavaliers still have the strongest familiarity pitch, the Warriors appear to be trying to close that gap in other ways. Playing alongside Stephen Curry remains the obvious headliner. Vogel gives Golden State one more familiar face from James’ past.

Vogel is not going to be the reason James chooses the Bay Area, but if the Warriors are building a pitch around comfort, championship experience and a stronger defensive identity, he certainly helps the case.

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