LeBron James has had a career that spans nearly 2 decades and 3 teams. It has also seen a number of coaches. Unfortunately, LeBron has ended many a coaching tenure in the NBA. The latest name added to this list is Frank Vogel, whose time at the Los Angeles Lakers may be over.
It has been a disappointing season for the Lakers, where they failed to even make the Play-In tournament. The team finished the season with the 8th worst record in the league. To add to that, their star signing Russell Westbrook failed to replicate his past form, and injuries ravaged the squad. But inevitably, questions surrounded the head coach and the Lakers front office has reached a decision.
Frank Vogel has coached his final game for the Lakers, a decision that’s expected to be shared with him as soon as Monday, sources tell ESPN. Lakers’ search expected to be lengthy and expansive with no clear initial frontrunner.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) April 11, 2022
Frank Vogel will not coach the Lakers from next season as they aim to start afresh from this abysmal season. But how many other coaches has LeBron James seen out?
LeBron James and the coaches curse
LeBron James has had 8 coaches in his NBA career. And with Frank Vogel’s departure imminent, it takes the count of coaches fired while LeBron is part of the team to 6.
Coaches fired on a LeBron team:
Paul Silas
Mike Brown
David Blatt
Luke Walton
Frank VogelShoutout to Erik Spoelstra. pic.twitter.com/4fLzYb80H3
— StatMuse (@statmuse) April 11, 2022
LeBron’s coaches at the Cleveland Cavaliers
Paul Silas
Paul Silas was the first to succumb to the pressures of coaching LeBron James. Hired before the start of James’ rookie season at the Cavaliers, he failed to make the playoffs in his first season with a 35-47 record. Despite a decent start in the next season at 34-30, he was sacked to make way for Brendan Malone.
Brendan Malone
His name is missing from the StatMuse tweet because his time at Cleveland was extremely short-lived. Malone took over from Silas, and went 18-8 but failed to make the playoffs. Consequently, Malone was laid off.
Mike Brown
Mike Brown developed LeBron’s game immensely, from a defensive viewpoint and in terms of a mature approach. Likewise, had an excellent record and led the Cavaliers to at least the Eastern Conference semifinals every year. However, being the first team to historically not make the Finals after winning more than 60 games for 2 years in a row meant he had to call time at the Cavs.
LeBron’s coaches at the Los Angeles Lakers
David Blatt
David Blatt oversaw James’ return to Cleveland and the Cavaliers’ return to the top of the Eastern Conference. He led the team to the Finals in his first season in the NBA in 2015, but injuries had their say and thwarted a maiden championship. Midway through their dominant start to the following season, Blatt was fired on the basis of being the “wrong fit” for the team.
Luke Walton
Luke Walton’s disappointing time at the Lakers was predicted to end with the arrival of LeBron James. But injuries played a part in their season and the Lakers just could not get going. Subsequently, Walton failed to make the playoffs for the third season in a row. He received the sack immediately.
Frank Vogel will potentially be an addition to this list once the Los Angeles Lakers make the announcement official.