Before his recent departure from the team, former Phoenix Suns head coach Frank Vogel compiled an NBA coaching record of 902 games, including 480 wins and 422 losses.
Vogel faced termination after completing just one season with the franchise. Despite leading the Suns to a 49-33 record and landing them sixth in the Western Conference standings, Vogel's tenure ended abruptly following the team's first-round playoff elimination, swept by the Minnesota Timberwolves.
The Suns are now in the process of selecting their next coaching target, and all eyes are on former Milwaukee Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer. He was dismissed by the Bucks in 2023 after a five-season stint with the team. Budenholzer has yet to return to coaching since he departed from Milwaukee, adding to the intrigue surrounding his potential hiring.
READ MORE: Phoenix Suns fire head coach Frank Vogel but have far deeper NBA problems
READ MORE: Shaquille O'Neal brutally tells Nikola Jokic to his face that he should not have won NBA MVP
"As we said at the press conference on May 1, team leadership including myself, Josh Bartelstein, and ownership would be looking across basketball operations to determine what changes needed to be made," Suns general manager James Jones said. "After a thoughtful review of the season, we concluded that we needed a different head coach for our team. We appreciate Frank's hard work and commitment."
Just 12 days before his termination, Vogel was asked about his confidence in job security as he approached the second year of his lucrative five-year, $31 million contract. At that time, he expressed high confidence and felt "very" secure. However, conflicting reports began circulating, suggesting Vogel was on the hot seat.
Vogel's NBA coaching journey started in 2001 as an assistant coach for the Boston Celtics, where he remained for three seasons. He then transitioned to a similar role with the Indiana Pacers for a year before joining the Orlando Magic, where he served as an assistant coach for an additional four seasons.
Click here to follow the Mirror US on Google News to stay up to date with all the latest news, sport and entertainment stories.
In 2011, the Pacers promoted Vogel to head coach. During his tenure, he guided the team to the postseason in five out of six seasons and to the Eastern Conference Finals on two occasions, albeit falling short both times. Vogel's departure from the Pacers marked the end of what was then the fourth-longest coaching tenure in the NBA.
Vogel then became the Orlando Magic's head coach from 2016 to 2018. The team had struggled since Dwight Howard's departure in 2012 and became the second-worst team in the league for the following six seasons under Vogel's leadership. The Magic struggled to perform during Vogel's final season as head coach, winning only 25 games. After being fired from Orlando, Vogel became the coach of the Los Angeles Lakers.
During his tenure in Los Angeles, Vogel found success, including winning an NBA championship in 2020 during the distinctive bubble season due to the coronavirus pandemic. He also served twice as the NBA All-Star Game head coach in 2014 and 2020.
Following the 2021 season, Vogel faced speculation regarding his departure from the Lakers. Critics pointed to alleged mismanagement of the team's roster, particularly scrutinizing their utilization of Russell Westbrook.